Human Nature
by SleepySheep683
Summary: So, things are easier with no monsters and no magic? A fortnight after getting engaged to Jacob, Bella reflects on their relationship from when she first moved to Forks, to the ultimatum Jacob has been given by his tribe- her, or them.
1. Prologue: Ultimatum The Beginning

**Pairing: **Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story **do not** necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Summary: **So, if there were no monsters and no magic in Bella's life, Jacob would have been her soul mate, right? And that would have been easy, right? A fortnight after getting engaged to Jacob, Bella reflects on their relationship from when she first moved to Forks, to the ultimatum Jacob has been given by his tribe- her, or them...

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Ashley G, Aprylle D, maired75 and CapriciousC.

* * *

**Prologue: Ultimatum- The Beginning**

It was raining as Bella stood huddled up against the wooden wall of the tribal meeting hall, sheltering under the porch roof. Jacob, who had been pacing up and down the wooden decking, his frustration clearer with every stride, looked at her and hissed.

"Jesus, Bells. You're freezing."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, enveloping her in both his coat and embrace.

"I'm sorry, Jake. This is all my fault."

He turned her around and stared at her as though she was crazy.

"Hey, this is not your fault." His resolve was like steel. "It's theirs. All of this. We're not the ones being unreasonable here."

Bella sighed and rested her head against Jacob's shoulder.

"This is such a nightmare…"

"We'll get through it," he reassured her as he glanced at his watch.

"Is it time yet?" Bella asked, gripping Jacob's wrist with her hand and gently coaxing his arm towards her, so the watch was visible. Jacob shook his head.

"Another five minutes," he gritted through his teeth.

"Breathe, baby. Just breathe," Bella soothed, reaching up to run her fingers through his long black hair.

"I just want to march in there and tell them where they can stick it, you know?" he said, his eyes brimming with anxiety.

"I know."

"I mean, what are they expecting me to say? Sorry that you're white?"

"I think they'd like that, as a start."

Jacob let go of Bella and began to pace again. "Are they going to match up our kids to a colour chart, check they're dark enough to qualify as Quileute? What the hell does that even mean around here? We're all a big fat mix of every colour under the sun…" He stopped, dragged his hands over his face, looking for a moment like a lost school boy and not the son of the Quileute chief, the great grandson of Ephraim Black himself.

The son who had divided the tribe by slipping a shining ring on a white woman's finger.

He composed himself, and suddenly looked like the man who had accepted all the responsibility his birthright bestowed upon him, but was not going to back down over this one small thing.

Bella reached for his hand without looking, their fingers interlaced as though it were their natural position.

"Jake," she started.

"I know what you're going to say."

"Do you sometimes think it would have been easier if we…" She released a short, sharp laugh that had no humour lurking in it. "If we just hadn't got together in the first place?"

"Yes," Jacob replied wearily, "but it would have sucked."

Bella smiled weakly, before staring back out towards the lush green forest, dulled by the grey sky.

"I'd understand, you know," she said quietly.

"Huh?"

"If you… If you couldn't give this up."

Jacob clutched her in his arms and whirled her around to face him.

"Bella," he said; his tone and expression deadly serious. "I love you. You're my best friend and I made a promise that I'll be here for you, always. I don't break my promises." He smiled suddenly. "Especially not when I've made them to such a hottie," he said, raising an eyebrow flirtatiously.

Bella smacked him on the arm, before reaching up to kiss him. Jacob happily bent down to lessen the gap in their heights.

At that moment, a woman approached them, protected from the rain by an anorak and an umbrella. She crept under the porch and undid the hood, letting her thick glossy black hair fall to her shoulders.

"Leah? What are you doing here?" Bella asked. Leah smiled and shrugged.

"Came to wish you guys luck," she replied. Jacob smirked bitterly.

"You'd better be careful Sam doesn't spot you 'fraternising with the enemy'," he said, making air quotes as he spoke. Leah nudged him gently.

"He's my husband, not my keeper," she replied, a sliver of heat in her voice. "Anyway, he's not against you guys. He's just worried about the consequences. How it'll affect the whole tribe."

Suddenly, the door to the communal hall opened. Billy Black wheeled himself out to face the couple.

"Come on, son," he said heavily. "It's time."

Jacob took Bella's hand in his own as they walked towards the door. Billy sighed and shook his head.

"Jake, you know you can't bring Bella in with you."

"She's going to be my wife. She has just as much right to be in there as anyone else," Jacob contested.

"Jacob." Billy's voice was weary. "You know that's precisely what we're here to discuss."


	2. Chapter One: A Narrow Escape

**Pairing: **Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story **do not **necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Chapter Summary: **Bella moves to Forks and has a lucky escape one snowy morning.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, MarillaShirley and JulieGirl18

* * *

**Chapter One: A Narrow Escape**

"Bells? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Charlie, Bella's father, was standing awkwardly in the doorway of their house fixing the tie on his police uniform.

Bella tried not to laugh; the tie was a clip-on. "Sure, Dad; what's up?" she asked, as she clambered down from her battered red truck.

"You are happy here, right?" he asked.

Bella shrugged. "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem… I don't know, bored?"

Bella laughed. "Dad, its Forks. I know I've only been here, what, a month? But not a lot happens."

Charlie sighed. "I know Jacksonville was at least warmer."

"Dad, relax. I'm even getting used to the cold. See?" She gestured towards the two sweaters she was wearing under her coat. "I've got rid of a layer already."

Charlie smiled, as Bella gave him a brief hug. "I've got to go, don't want the Chief of Police's daughter setting a bad example by missing classes, right?" she pointed out.

"Good thinking, kiddo," he replied. "Oh, and be careful. Roads are icy. I've sorted your tyres out, but…"

Bella smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Dad. Don't you worry, I'll be careful," she assured him, as she hopped into the driver's seat, only slipping once when she misplaced her foot on the step up.

* * *

Forks was cold and wet. That was the first impression Bella really formed, and it wasn't a favourable one, given the two things Bella hated most in life were the cold and the rain. That was why Jacksonville had suited her, if not her complexion, but her mother really wanted to follow Phil around while he searched for fame and fortune in the semi-professional baseball leagues. So, Bella had made the decision to go and live with her father; she didn't like the idea of being the reason her mother had to give up her dreams. Even as Renee begged her to stay, Bella's mind was made up.

One thing that had taken Bella by surprise in Forks was her fellow students. They were actually nice. Well, mostly. Jacksonville had its super-cliques; impossibly gorgeous and impossibly vacuous girls with their jock boyfriends and no room for pale little Bella. Forks High had been a revelation. Within minutes of getting out of her truck, boys had flocked to her; friendly, teasing. It made Bella feel rather awkward; being the centre of attention had never exactly been her thing, but she couldn't deny it had felt nice when Eric Yorkie and Mike Newton had jostled to show her around.

"Hey, I can show you the English department- I've got lessons there right now, actually."

"I've got a free period until Biology at eleven. I could take you around the whole school, show you what the cool kids do for kicks round here…" Mike had certainly been a bit smarter than Eric, and the dazzling smile he offered her made it clear his tongue was firmly in his cheek when he discussed the varying recreational activities available to the average Forks teen. "Well, we have the vibrant shopping area, that's, like, a street. Oh, and there's the entertainment area. Um, that's in Port Angeles, about twenty miles out… but don't think we miss out on all the hedonism here- we've got a diner, one smart restaurant and a half-a-screen cinema that shows films that were released last year. We like to think of it as 'retro chic'—"

"Actually, I need to find the school office. I haven't, you know, enrolled yet," Bella said a little shyly.

Mike put his arm lazily around Bella's shoulder. "That I can do, my dear Isabella—"

"Bella," she corrected. "It's just Bella."

"Alrighty then, just Bella."

It was lame, but she laughed; possibly because it was lame.

Sadly, the girls she met didn't strike her as being much different from the ones she left behind in Jacksonville; possibly less vacuous, but no less malicious. Jessica Stanley glowered at her the moment Bella caught her eye, although Bella wondered if this was more to do with the attention Mike was currently lavishing on her, as she seemed to glare at him just as much. For Lauren, Bella could find no such excuse. At least Angela had been sweet.

"I could show you to the office, if you like," she offered after glancing at Jessica, then Mike and finally Bella.

"That would be great, thanks," Bella replied, relieved to be extricated from the burgeoning love triangle.

"You looked uncomfortable," Angela said once the others were out of earshot.

"Yeah, a little," Bella confessed.

Angela shook her head. "Don't worry about them. There isn't a Mike and Jessica, and you'd be surprised how quickly she forgets about him when a new guy turns up." She smiled; there was no malice in her reply. Bella found herself warming to her instantly.

"Do you want me to wait with you?" Angela asked once they reached the office.

"I'll be fine," Bella insisted, before entering the small reception office.

A harangued woman with tortoise-shell glasses gestured for her to wait, as she held a phone to her ear and appeared to be trying to placate someone.

"Yes, I can understand… I'm very sorry you feel that way… We have a very good grade point average for the area, and our SAT results are above average…"

She looked up at Bella. "Sorry," she mouthed silently. By the time she had managed to end the call, Bella had already noticed her registration details and the placard on the desk which read 'Mrs Cope'.

"You must be Isabella," she said finally. Bella felt herself grimace.

"It's just Bella," she replied. Mrs Cope nodded with the air of someone who hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention.

"Very good, now, if you could just fill in these forms, Isabella."

Bella took the forms from her and signed the requisite pieces of paper. As she did so, her eye was drawn to a small pile of student files, a post-it note attached with the word 'Shredder' scribbled across it. She made out the surnames 'Cullen' and 'Hale'. Bella wondered what had made them so terrible; their records were destined to become hamster bedding.

"Oh, don't worry about them," Mrs Cope said, upon noticing Bella's horrified expression. "They were due to start last year, but their father got a call to Alaska. Pity, Forks missed out on a great doctor there… Anyway, we have to shred unused information after a certain amount of time." She laughed. "If only we could do that with some of the students."

Bella smiled weakly and signed the parking permit, printing her registration number with her neat hand. Mrs Cope looked at it and frowned.

"Goodness, that truck is yours?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah."

"Well, it can get really icy around here. You just be careful."

"I will," Bella replied.

* * *

Bella was true to her word. She was very careful as she drove to school the day Charlie had sent her off with that same warning, shivering as the heater broke for the seventh time since owning it. She was careful as she parked up and clicked the handbrake properly before grabbing her school books and walking towards her classes.

Unfortunately, not everyone was so careful.

A sudden crunching noise behind her, metal on metal, made Bella's heart lurch. She turned around and saw, almost in slow motion, Tyler's Volkswagen van smash straight into her precious truck.

"Oh, god… Bella. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"My beautiful truck," she whispered, as though in mourning. She had only owned the thing for a month, a present from Charlie that he in turn had bought off one of his friends on the reservation, Billy Black. By all accounts, his son was pleased to get rid of it.

Jacob Black may not have cared about that truck, but Bella did.

Soon a crowd of students had gathered around the scene.

"Oh my God, Bella! Are you okay?" Angela had rushed towards the scene, almost slipping on the black ice.

"You could have been killed!"

"I'm fine," Bella insisted, as Mike Newton took her arm. "I was in a hurry to get to class."

"Lucky you were," he agreed. "Just one distraction and you could have been wedged in between those two cars!"

"And in, like, fourteen pieces," Jessica added, planting herself between Bella and Mike. "Fate was really on your side, huh?"

"I guess." Bella still felt the vestiges of shock.

"Shame about the truck, though," Mike pointed out sadly.

Lauren, who was walking towards the scene and overheard, giggled. "Yeah, that crash caused hundreds of dollars' worth of improvements," she joked.

Bella felt her cheeks grow warm. "Hey, I liked that truck!"

"Maybe the insurance pay-out will cover the cost of fixing it?" Angela suggested, as she gently rubbed Bella's back in a comforting fashion.

* * *

It hadn't been enough. John Dowlings had laughed when she had got Charlie to tow her truck to their garage, hope in her eyes and a wad of fifty dollar notes in her wallet.

"It'd take a miracle to put that thing right," he had told her.

Charlie offered a sympathetic smile when Bella returned, dejectedly, to his police car, the forlorn truck trailing behind it on a piece of tow rope. He picked up his cell phone when Bella explained Dowlings' verdict.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Bella asked.

Charlie grinned. "Dowlings' thinks it'll take a miracle, huh?"

Bella nodded.

"Well I might just know of one," he replied.

* * *

"Jacob Black?" Bella was incredulous.

Charlie shrugged as they slowly made their way up the hilly roads to La Push. "The kid's a whizz with anything mechanical." He laughed fondly. "I remember years ago when he took apart his parents' Hoover. Sarah, God rest her soul, was furious. That was until he put the thing back together again in about half an hour and had it working better than it ever had… boy, did he ever let us forget that?"

"What is he, like, fourteen?"

"Fifteen. You must remember him?"

"Nope."

"You used to play with him." Charlie paused and then smirked. "Well, you used to fight with him."

"When?"

"Last time you came up here. You were seven, he was five. Something about a game of kiss chase gone horribly wrong."

"I hope he doesn't remember, either," Bella replied, feeling embarrassed already.

Charlie pulled up outside a small one storey house, the wood lacquered with red paint and what looked like a large, slightly lop-sided garage with tarpaulin for a doorway.

"We're here," he said unnecessarily. Bella looked outside of the window and saw a weathered man push himself along in a wheelchair, his long black hair whipped up by the wind. Charlie got out of the police car and waved at him. He waved back languidly and then laughed when he saw the truck.

"Wow. That lasted a long time," he joked, grabbing Charlie's hand as the two pulled each other into a brief hug.

"Yeah, some punk kid at Bells' school ploughed his van into it," he explained angrily.

"Dad, it was an accident—"

"And you could have got killed!"

"I was nowhere near it," Bella protested.

Charlie grinned. "Yeah. Billy, this is Bella," he said, putting his arm around her.

Billy nodded and held out his hand. "Nice to see you again, Bella," he said, as Bella took it and they shook hands. "Last time I saw you must have been ten years ago. You smacked Jake in the mouth when he kissed you and told him boys were gross," Billy mused. Charlie laughed heartily as Billy wheeled himself closer to Bella and beckoned her to lean forward. "I think you broke his heart," he whispered conspiratorially.

Bella felt herself cringe as her father and his friend exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

"Jacob?" Billy called towards the garage. "Jake! Get out here, son."

A tall boy, bordering on lanky, strode across towards them. His jeans and t-shirt were splattered with grease, his long silky black hair tied up in a ponytail. Bella couldn't stop staring at his skin, russet tan with an enviable complexion. He wouldn't have been out of place as the 'after' shot for a spot cream commercial.

He looked thoroughly disappointed when he clapped eyes on the big red truck.

"Aww, man! I thought I'd finally got rid of that piece of—" Jacob's expression changed upon catching Charlie's eye. "Hi, Charlie! How's things?" he asked brightly. Charlie looked at him, smothered a smile.

"Not so good, kiddo. Bella here had a bit of an accident with her truck."

Jacob took one look at the truck, glanced at Bella and laughed. "No kidding. What did you do with her? Try and drive her through a mountain?"

Bella glared at him. "I did not… It wasn't my fault!" she stammered.

"Sure, sure." He rolled his eyes and grinned, showing off a set of dimples that made him look every bit his age.

Bella swatted him on the arm. "Hey, I was parked! In a space, before you even go there. Another guy lost control, skidded into it."

Jacob shook his head, whistling low as he caressed the heavy set dents in the body-work. "He did a number on her, alright," he said, mostly to himself.

"So, my dad seems to think you can fix it?" Bella asked uncertainly.

Jacob looked at her, raised an eyebrow in mild distain. "He just _thinks_ I can fix her?"

"Well, Dowlings didn't want to know—"

"I can fix her," he said with an unshakeable certainly that belied his years.

Bella laughed dryly. "Sure, but is it going to cost me more than the value of the truck?"

Jacob pulled a faux-wounded face and held his hands to his heart. "As though I'm in it for the money!" He laughed. "Well, normally I'd charge a decent rate, but I'll settle for parts. You can have my time for free."

"Wow, thanks!" Bella said, before her expression settled into a sceptical frown. "Wait, why?"

He looked her up and down, and then sighed. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty face."

Bella felt her lips tug upwards into a smile. "Hey, isn't there, like, this rule about respecting your elders?"

Jacob shrugged, patted her arm gently. "Please. 'Age ain't nothing but a number', and Aaliyah sang that so it must be true."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "You listen to Aaliyah?"

"I have twin sisters," he shot back without skipping a beat. "Anyway, if you want me to fix this baby, I'm going to need your help."

Horrified by this notion, Bella stepped back, waving her hands wildly. "Oh, no, I'll only make things worse. I'm, like, the anti-fixer."

Jacob did not appear deterred. "I'll teach you. You'll be great. Or, you'll be really good at holding the flashlight." He grabbed her hand. "Come on, I'll show you the garage!"

Startled, yet eager, Bella followed him, whirling past a bewildered Charlie and Billy.

"You guys going to, I dunno, introduce yourselves at some point?" Charlie suggested. Jacob stopped.

"Jacob, Bella," he said, pointing at each of them in turn. "We know, Charlie. It's cool."

Unable to contain the sudden glee she felt, Bella nudged Jacob sharply in the ribs with her elbow. "Race you," she challenged.

He looked at her with dark brown eyes which glittered with promise. "Oh, you're on!" he retorted as they both dashed towards the garage, oblivious to Charlie and Billy's amused shock.


	3. Chapter Two: Building Trucks

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella learns a few things about Jacob Black, and Mike's persistence pays off.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, Confettirainfall and HEAR

* * *

**Chapter Two: Building Trucks, Building Friendship**

Two months in, and Bella's truck was starting to look more like it could be roadworthy. Not that she minded the wait, for she found it ridiculously easy to like Jacob. So much so that she was sure she'd miss him like crazy once they were done patching up her poor wounded truck.

"Bells? Pass us the wrench," Jacob muttered as he stared deep into the heart of Bella's truck, the guts of the machine under the hood. Wordlessly she handed him a grease-stained wrench, watching his brow as it puckered in concentration. He hissed through his teeth. "Yup, your coolant system is shot."

"That's the part that stops the engine from catching fire when you drive, right?"

Jacob turned around and stared at her. "You are growing wise, young Padawan," he said, gesticulating with the wrench in his hand. "Wise beyond your years."

"Wise beyond my years? I thought we'd been through this. I am both older and wiser," Bella informed him.

Jacob laughed and turned his attention back to the working parts under the hood. "Not when it comes to cars. There, I'm like thirty-seven and you're about four."

"Creepy."

"It's not like that," Jacob insisted breezily. "Not yet, anyway. Mechanic me is very patient. He'll wait for you to catch up."

Bella raised her eyebrows and punched Jacob gently in the arm. "And what's that supposed to mean, huh?"

Jacob suddenly put his face right up close to the engine parts as though trying to locate something. "Nothing," he mumbled quietly. Bella could see the tips of his ears turn a little red. She couldn't help but smile.

Suddenly Jake stood up in triumph, banging his head on the roof of the hood.

"Are you alright?" Bella asked, wincing as Jacob grimaced and rubbed his head.

"I'm fine. I've found your leak. We need to replace a hose," he explained.

"We?"

"Yes, we." He grabbed her hand and brought it into contact with some oily plastic tubing. "Feel that?" He kept his hands over hers, and guided her fingers along the hose.

"Yeah."

"Keep going to the end, then unscrew it," he instructed.

"Why? What are you going to be doing?" Bella asked while she followed the tubing along to where it met the coolant store.

"Looking for spare parts," he replied as he darted off to a corner of the garage which had lots of old ice-cream tubs piled up high, full of various parts. Every so often he would return to the truck with a piece of plastic tubing and deem it too short, too long, too wide, too narrow. Eventually he found something he could use. "Ah ha!" he announced triumphantly, testing a strip of tubing against the one Bella had extracted from inside her car. "And this one's just right."

"Great, what do we do now?"

"Well, if you just want to hand me that old piece of tubing."

Bella handed over the hose, and could see where it had worn at the edges. Parts of the rubber were crumbling away.

"Yeah, thought so. We need to fit a new seal. Good thing I have a load," Jacob commented. He took one end of the new piping and popped a rubber seal around it, then handed the whole thing to Bella. "You see that hole?"

"Yup."

"If you just slide that in there."

"I can't, Jake, it won't fit."

"Sure it will."

"It's too big!"

"It's not, Bella. Just relax. It's supposed to feel kind of tight. Use your fingers. Stretch out the opening a bit."

"Okay… Oh, yeah. I think that worked."

"It's in?"

"Yeah. How far does it have to go?"

"Just a little further… Man, it's stuck."

"It's fine, Jake. Just push it harder. It's going in."

"I'm trying."

"Harder, Jake! Oh, not too hard, don't break it!"

"I know what I'm doing, Bella!"

Suddenly, the sound of raucous laughter filled Bella's ears, and she almost jumped a mile. She turned around and saw two boys of around Jacob's age, each with long black hair, standing just in front of the make-shift tarpaulin garage doors. They were clinging onto each other, doubled up in laughter, tears in their eyes.

"Yeah, come on, Jake, harder. You heard the lady…" The smaller, skinnier boy couldn't finish his words through his giggles.

"Put your back into it, boy!" the broad-shouldered boy instructed loudly, before laughing again.

Bella looked across at Jacob and saw he was blushing.

"Yeah, yeah. Get your minds out of the gutter, guys." He glanced across at Bella and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. If I could deny knowing these two dorks-" He threw the old piece of piping across the garage, and it bounced off the shoulder of the skinnier guy. "I would!" he finished with a wry grin. "Bella, this is Quil and Embry." Jacob gestured towards the broad-shouldered boy, then the skinnier one. They grinned and waved at her.

"Ah, so you're the infamous Bella Swan?" Quil mused.

"Infamous?" Bella asked.

Embry nodded. "Yeah. Kelly's been following us around asking us about you for the last month?"

"Kelly?" Jacob looked confused.

Quil started tinkering with a box of spare parts. "Sure. Kelly who's in our class Kelly? Who works the Saturday shift down at the gas station…?"

"Don't get those mixed up," Jacob ordered.

Quil smirked. "Calm down, OCD boy– I'm only looking. Where was I?"

"Kelly, gas station," Embry offered. "You know, where you two have been going to buy parts? Every week for the past six weeks?" He looked at Jacob, then at Bella, meaningfully. "Where you've both been cosy?"

"Cosy?" Bella queried.

Quil shrugged. "Kelly's words. She didn't sound too pleased about it."

Embry scoffed. "Yeah, that's 'cause she's been crushing on Jake since—"

"She is not," Jacob protested, although Bella saw his cheeks turn pink.

"Well, she's interested now," Quil pointed out, setting the box of parts down and walking over to Jacob. "There's nothing like a bit of competition to get things moving." He clapped Jacob on the shoulder.

"But there isn't any competition," Bella insisted. "He's fifteen! He's been fixing my truck!"

"Yeah, but Kelly doesn't know that, does she?" Embry replied.

Quil laughed. "And face it, guys, if she heard what we'd heard from outside your garage today… Well, let's just say it sounded a lot more fun than it turned out to be."

"Dude, we nearly didn't come in. You guys sounded…busy." Embry burst into laughter again.

Bella found herself staring at the floor now the innuendo had finally sunk in. She suddenly felt a hand brush against hers, warm breath near her face.

"Just ignore them. They're just trying to wind me up," Jacob whispered into her ear.

She smiled shyly. "I'm doing my best," she whispered back, before raising her voice. "We were going to order pizza. You guys in?"

Quil and Embry looked at each other.

"Dude, we _never_ say no to pizza," Quil said with authority.

Bella stood up and took her cell phone out of her pocket, just as Jacob stood up and nudged her.

"I see. You _like_ to see them wind me up?" he whispered, with a cheeky grin on his face.

Bella shrugged and smiled back. "Hey, I've never seen you with your friends before. I'm curious."

* * *

The rest of the evening had been pretty uneventful, but fun. They whiled away time eating pizza and playing poker, Bella surprising the guys by being pretty good, but disappointing them by refusing Quil's suggestion of playing strip poker.

"Why do we have to play for anything?" she moaned.

Embry raised his eyebrows, and Bella noticed through the stretching of the skin that he sported a small, but deep scar between his left eyebrow and left eye. "That's part of the fun," he explained. "We play for pennies, or chores. Pity we can't play for clothes."

"Well, you guys are more than welcome," Bella insisted.

Quil wiggled his eyebrows. "I'd get too giddy if I saw Jake naked," he said, faking a swoon.

Jacob blew a kiss at him.

"Jacob Black, you're such a cock-tease," Quil replied.

Embry sat pinching his brow with his fingers, his arm propped up against his knee, practically squirming with embarrassment. "They do this a lot," he said to Bella, shaking his head sadly.

Bella stared in surprise. "I didn't know they were…you know…"

"They're not. They just think they're funny."

Bella watched as Quil stood up and waved his butt in Jacob's face, who responded by spanking him and archly replying, "Maybe later, darling."

She tried not to giggle. "I guess it is. Kind of, in a weird way."

"It's not funny when you're in the only diner in town and surrounded by a bunch of angry lumberjacks with arms the size of tree trunks," Embry said stiffly.

This caused Bella to laugh rather loudly.

"What's so funny?" Jacob asked.

Embry looked at him, eyes narrowed. "I was just telling Bella about that time we nearly got the shit kicked out of us when you two started playing 'Let's-Be-Gay' in front of that bunch of rednecks."

Jacob and Quil laughed.

"Oh, yeah. That was pretty funny," Quil replied, grinning. "Anyone want a soda?"

Bella raised her hand while Jacob smirked to himself.

"Yeah, the joke kind of wore thin when they came back with pool cues," he conceded. "I don't think I've ever run so fast."

Quil grinned as he dropped a bottle of soda into Bella's hand. "We've just had to do it in private since," he replied, ruffling Jacob's hair as he passed him on the way to his seat, causing him to untie the band and let his locks tumble down his back. Quil flopped down onto the fold-up chair and glanced at his cards while Bella struggled to unscrew her bottle of soda.

"Fold," he said, tossing them into the centre.

Embry looked at him. "Dude, we haven't even started playing yet."

"I fold. They're crappy cards," he insisted.

Bella squeezed the bottle between her knees and gripped one hand with the other to turn the soda bottle top, but to no avail. Jake watched her for a while before silently taking the bottle from between her knees, unscrewing the top and handing it back to her.

Bella looked at him cautiously. "What, no teasing about me being a weak girl?"

Jacob shrugged. "I could tease you if you want," he offered.

Bella shook her head, before offering him the bottle. "Want some?"

"Sure." He took a deep swig from the bottle before passing it back to Bella, who also took a big sip.

"I'm going to miss this," Jacob said suddenly.

"Miss what?"

"Hanging out with you. The truck's nearly done, so I guess that's that." He looked a little sad.

Bella reached over and squeezed his knee. "We can still hang out," she insisted.

Jacob smiled at her. "I'd like that," he replied, just as Embry pointed at Bella and yelled, "Hey, stop molesting a minor!" much to Quil's amusement and Jacob's mortification.

* * *

They didn't hang out. Not for months. School and school friends got in the way for Bella, who was enjoying the experience of having a larger social group than she had ever had in Jacksonville. In fact, it wasn't until Angela made a suggestion in the cafeteria over lunch that Bella even realised.

"Hey, who's up for First Beach on Saturday? The weather's looking nice, and we haven't been there for ages."

"I'm in. It'd be nice to work on my tan," Jessica replied. Lauren nodded her consent while Eric and Mike excitedly discussed plans to drag out their old surfboards.

"Bella? How about you?" Angela asked.

"Sure, sounds good," Bella replied, resolving to phone Jacob and let him know she was going to be in the area.

* * *

Saturday was probably the first day in Forks that Bella could describe as being warm, and on stepping outside she decided it might actually be worth putting her swimsuit on under her clothes.

Charlie had looked at her enormous back pack with incredulity. "Are you going for a day at the beach, or camping for a week?" he joked.

"Dad, I don't trust the weather around here," she replied as a car horn tooted outside. "That's them," she announced, grabbing her bag.

Charlie gently touched her arm. "Have fun, kid," he said as she raced out of the door and clambered into the minivan outside.

Mike looked concerned as Bella piled into the back seat with Angela and Jessica. "Hey, you know it's a beach, right? With an ocean and sun? What's with the sweater?"

"I have my swimsuit on underneath," Bella explained. "I'm more than ready for the water."

"Me too," Angela agreed. "I've even promised to try out Ben's surfboard." She smiled at Ben as she said this, and Bella noticed him blush just a little.

Jessica raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Well, you two have fun. I'll lie in the sun and watch," she said.

Lauren nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"I guess that leaves us guys to chase you into the water, huh?" Mike queried, winking at Bella. Jessica did not look amused.

It didn't take long to get to the beach, although Bella was distracted as they made their way down to the shore. On the cliff facing the ocean, she could make out figures about a third from the top. One took a run and leapt off the cliff side.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Did you guys see that?"

Mike scoffed. "Yeah, they're crazy," he said, gently taking Bella's hand and coaxing her along.

She followed, but reluctantly. "Shouldn't we, you know, help?"

Mike stopped, and laughed. "Bella, they're cliff-diving. It's not a suicide pact or anything."

They stood still and watched the figure rise to the surface, heard his laughter. A pretty, athletic looking girl was watching from the shore, clapping enthusiastically. He swam a distance, then walked out of the water.

"We'd better go," Mike whispered darkly.

"Why?" Bella asked. Mike leant towards her.

"They're rez kids. I mean, most of them are cool, but some of them don't exactly like us hanging around."

"Why not?"

"It's part of their land. I mean, we're allowed on the beach and everything, but some of them? Well, it can be easier just to keep out of their way."

The lean, yet muscular figure now running to the shore, to that girl, caught Bella's eye. She couldn't help but glance at him admiringly, although she tried not to watch as he embraced the girl, bringing his lips to hers.

Mike coughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, we should probably get going. I feel oddly voyeuristic," he noted as the two on the shore began passionately making out, the girl's hand snaking around the waistband of the boy's board shorts. They broke from their kiss for a moment, and the boy looked over the girl's shoulder at them. Bella knew now why he had caught her eye.

"Aww, shit," Mike muttered. "Let's get out of here. We don't need the hassle…"

"Jake?" Bella called, waving excitedly. The boy grinned, and ran over towards them with the girl following.

"Hey, Bella, how's things?" he asked, sweeping her up into a bear hug. Bella felt slightly dirty upon realising just who she had been raking her eyes over, especially when they pulled apart and she got a good view of his baby face, all dimples and rosy cheeks. Since when did skinny Jake become so buff?

"What happened to you? I didn't know you'd bitten the steroid bug."

"Me? I'm just working out." He jerked his head towards the pretty girl now beside them. "She likes her men with a bit more meat on their bones than I was packing. Anyway, you didn't answer my question."

As they pulled away, Bella noticed the girl was scowling at them.

"I'm good, thanks," Bella said. "You?"

"Peachy," he replied, snaking his arm around the scowling girl, who appeared mollified by the action. "This is Kelly, by the way," he said knowingly.

Bella smiled, remembering.

"How's the truck?" Kelly asked politely.

"Good, thanks. Runs like a dream; even the heater's working again. Jake's got magic hands," she replied.

Kelly nodded and leant her head against Jacob's shoulder, snaking her hand across his chest possessively. "He sure has," she said smugly.

Mike coughed. "We should probably catch up with our friends," he said.

"Oh, sorry! Jacob, Kelly, this is Mike. Mike, this is Jacob and Kelly."

Kelly looked disinterested, but said hello. Jacob offered his hand to Mike, who shook it.

"So, you two seeing each other?" Jacob asked casually. Mike stiffened slightly, and Bella laughed. Jacob gave Mike a sympathetic look.

"Oh, no. We're just hanging out," Bella explained. "There's a whole bunch of us"

Jacob nodded and smiled. "Well, if you guys want to join us we're over by the cliffs." He looked at Bella. "I know Quil and Embry would be pleased to see you again. Especially Quil."

Bella clipped Jacob on the arm. "Quit it, Jake. I'm guessing he's fifteen, too?"

"Sixteen. He's going to be as old as you soon…" He grinned and winced as though he were expecting the smack in the arm he got from Bella.

"Watch it, kid," she teased. "Isn't Quil a little old to be a freshman?"

Jacob flushed scarlet. "Actually, I'm a little young to be a sophomore," he admitted.

Bella frowned. "How come?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "He got moved up a year, obviously."

This surprised Bella, though she fought to hide it. "Oh, I see. When did that happen?" she asked casually.

Jacob shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, in sixth grade. I was getting into trouble a lot, and after a bunch of detentions that did nothing to stop me, one of the teachers asked me why I was being such a pain in the ass. I told her I was bored; she got me to do an IQ test. You know, the ones with all the triangles and vocab?"

Bella nodded. "I know."

"Well, I don't exactly remember what my score was, but they put me into seventh grade in, like, a week." He appeared deeply flustered, but this melted away a little when Kelly smiled at him.

"See? Brains _and_ good looks, too," she simpered, wrapping her arms around him and glaring sullenly at Bella in a way that screamed, _"Mine!"_

Jacob glanced across at Bella. "So, you're still seventeen, right?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Eighteen," she corrected.

Jacob slapped his palm to his face. "Damn it, I totally missed your birthday."

"It's cool," Bella replied. "It's not like I told you."

"Anyway, that makes Quil perfectly legal, just about. Your dad could sleep at night."

"Oh, shut up, Jake. You're still young enough for a spanking," she joked.

Jacob whistled. "Ooh, kinky…"

"Jake! We need to go," Kelly snapped suddenly, the building animosity suddenly hitting Bella like a tidal wave.

"Sorry, didn't mean to hold you up," she said, finding the small shells near her feet a welcome distraction from Kelly's palpable apprehension at their banter. Jacob shook his head.

"Nah, you didn't. It's nice to see you again." He turned to leave with Kelly, but Bella stopped him.

"Wait, when's your birthday?"

"He's sixteen next month," Kelly replied. "What's it to you?"

"Kels!" Jacob hissed.

"I just wondered when I should think about getting you a birthday present," Bella mused, doing her best to ignore Kelly's unabated icy glare.

Jacob shrugged. "That's nice, Bella, but there's no need. I didn't get you anything."

"You fixed my truck," she said firmly. "I'm getting you something."

"Sweet," Jacob replied with a grin as Kelly laced her fingers between his.

"So, maybe we'll see you guys later?" Kelly suggested in a tone that conveyed a secret wish not to.

"Maybe, sure," Mike replied, grabbing Bella's hand and leading her to the other side of the beach.

"Whoa, that kid's fifteen? Seriously?"

Bella smiled. "Yeah. He's looking a little…older than I remembered. At least from the neck down."

"He seems nice," Mike said blandly.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, he's a sweet kid." Her expression darkened. "I don't like his girlfriend, though."

Mike laughed nervously. "Why, jealous?"

"Of course not." She rolled her eyes. "He's fifteen, Mike."

They walked along the shore.

"I just… he was never into working out. Now she tells him to do it, and he's bulking up?"

Mike laughed. "Oh, come on. He just wants to impress her."

"Well, he shouldn't have to. He's fine as he is."

Mike took Bella's hand in his own. "You're really sweet, you know that?"

Bella felt herself blush, and tried to hide it with her hair. "Um."

"Did you want to go to the Prom with me?"

Bella sighed. "Mike, I hate those things. You know I went out to my mom's on the weekend of the Sadie Hawkins dance on purpose, right?"

"Okay, forget prom. What about the movies next Friday evening? Just the two of us?"

Bella stopped, uncertain. "I don't know…" She glanced across at Jacob and Kelly glued to the hip as they strolled along the shore. Fifteen and besotted. Would one date with one guy at eighteen really be such a big deal?

"Sure," she replied finally. "Why not?"


	4. Chapter Three: Heartbreak

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **A jibe from Mike prompts Bella to confide in Jacob.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, MarillaShirley and JulieGirl18

* * *

**Chapter Three: Heartbreak, and How to Get Over It**

One date turned into several and before Bella knew it, she and Mike Newton were an item. Jessica had been pretty annoyed and was now barely speaking to either of them. Lauren had taken her side, and everyone else was caught uncomfortably in the middle.

"This is bad," Bella said to Angela during lunch one day, where they had chosen to sit away from the group in the cafeteria.

Angela nodded. "I know. But it isn't your fault, Bella. Mike likes you, and he never gave Jessica any sort of encouragement. More to the point, _she_ never gave _him_ any sort of encouragement." She sipped on her orange juice. "It'll all blow over."

"Promise?" Bella asked sadly.

"Promise."

They sat in silence for a short while, Bella chewing thoughtfully on her pasta bake.

"You okay, Bella?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking." She sat up and looked at Angela. "I need to get a sixteenth birthday present for a friend, a guy friend."

"Okay."

"Only I'm out of ideas. I don't really know any other sixteen year old boys, apart

from him."

"This is Jacob Black, right?" Angela asked softly.

Bella felt her eyebrows raise in surprise. "How did you know?"

Angela giggled. "Mike told us about him. I think he felt a little… inadequate."

Bella snorted. "Inadequate? Jake's fifteen!"

"Yeah, but apparently he's fifteen, ripped, gorgeous and very much into PDA."

"PDA?"

"Public Displays of Affection," Angela explained.

Bella thought about this and frowned. "He said Jake was gorgeous?"

"Mike's very secure in his masculinity," Angela chimed. "At least, that's what he insisted when Eric and Ben laughed at him. For the rest of the week."

Bella couldn't help but laugh.

Suddenly, Angela's cell phone rang, and she answered it with a flip while bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hello...? Speaking… Oh. I thought it was supposed to be ready today...? Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Hope he gets better soon… It's fine; I can wait 'til the weekend… Thanks for letting me know, bye." Angela snapped her cell phone shut before touching Bella's arm gently. "Hey, I don't suppose I could get a lift back home with you, could I? My car isn't going to be fixed until the weekend. Apparently Brad's come down with the 'flu. Poor guy can't get out of bed."

Bella smiled. "Of course you can," she replied shaking her head.

"What?"

"You're unbelievably nice, Angela."

"Who, me? Not really…"

"Yes, really. One, you actually know the name of the mechanic working on your car. Two, instead of getting pissy that he can't fix your car by the date he said he would, you're worried about him being sick." Bella laid down her fork, signifying the end of her struggle with the pasta bake. "You'd like Jacob. He's pretty sweet, too. And he's taller than you."

Angela raised an eyebrow at Bella. "Are you trying to set me up with your fifteen year old buddy? Because that's kind of illegal."

"No! No, I'm not… I was just thinking you two were sort of similar. And you've got twin brothers." She flopped her head onto the table. "Maybe you'd know what he might want as a birthday present?"

Angela sucked absently on her straw; her brow furrowed in thought.

"My brothers would be thrilled with a 'Power Rangers' play set," she mused. "I think Jacob's a little old for that."

* * *

On the way to Angela's house after school, courtesy of a road block and diversion, Bella found the perfect gift for Jacob Black.

"Why have we stopped?" Angela asked as Bella pulled into a space near Ben Cheney's house and turned off the engine.

"I've just had a 'eureka' moment," she informed her, getting out of the car. Angela followed. "What do you mean?"

"Jake's birthday. I've just seen the perfect present!" Bella said jumping up and down on the spot, feeling uncharacteristically giddy.

There, on the side of the road outside the Marks' home, were two beaten up motorcycles next to a young man who was sitting on the side of the road, hammering a sign into the ground.

'_FOR SALE- AS IS'_

"How much?" Bella asked. The young man stared at her.

"They don't work," he said grumpily. Bella grinned.

"Even better," she replied.

Angela looked bewildered at this. "Even better?"

"Jake loves fixing up cars, vans… basically anything with an engine. He's got his own garage back at his place. What better present than a project, huh?"

"Seriously, they won't run," the young man insisted.

Bella smiled at him. "Jake has magic hands. There's nothing he can't make work again," she insisted.

The young man sighed and shrugged. "We'll see, I guess, but if your boyfriend can't do jack with them, he's going to have to get rid of them. I'm not taking them back— my dad's already sick of them. Would have kept them for longer if it wasn't for his nagging—"

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend," Bella replied quickly.

The young man shrugged. "Take them. I don't really want any money for them," he replied.

"You must want something…"

In a strange reverse haggling situation, where the buyer started high and dropped their offer and the seller started at nothing and raised theirs, they eventually agreed on fifty bucks and a bucket full of old parts.

"Good luck," the young man said as he helped Bella and Angela load the bikes onto the back of her truck.

* * *

By the time Bella had dropped Angela off and got home, she found Mike waiting with her father in their living room, gruffly commentating on the football.

"Where have you been, Bells?" Charlie asked.

"Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Mike— I got held up. We're not too late for dinner, are we?"

Mike shrugged. "It'll be fine. You look lovely as you are; we can just go."

"Held up where?" Charlie asked, while Bella put her truck keys on the coffee table.

"Getting motorcycles. Could you guys help me hide them somewhere?"

Mike got up and looked out of the window, just as Charlie turned an odd shade of puce.

"Bella! What have I told you about motorcyclists?"

"That it's another name for organ donors, but they're not for me—"

Mike laughed. "Come on, Charlie. Like Bella could even sit on one of those without injuring herself."

Bella felt herself grow red with anger. "What do you mean?"

"No offence, Bella, but you're not exactly the most… co-ordinated of people, are you?"

"I can ride a push-bike!" she argued defensively.

Mike sniggered. "Yeah, but do you?"

"Not often… But that's not the point!"

Charlie stood in the corner of the room, trying not to laugh. "So, why did you pick up two bikes, Bells?"

"Because I had to take them both, or I couldn't take any of them. Besides, Embry likes dirt-biking, I think…"

"Who's Embry?" Charlie asked.

"One of Jake's friends," Bella replied, in a tone that suggested it ought to be common knowledge. "They can use them… Dad, it's Jake's birthday soon, so I wanted to get him something."

"And nothing says 'Happy Birthday' like two death machines!"

"Jake likes danger. These are no worse than cliff-diving on a weekend, right?" Bella replied emphatically.

Charlie sighed heavily. "Well, if anyone asks, I knew nothing about them, alright? Billy would pitch a fit, and rightly so."

Bella doubted this. Billy seemed to have a very relaxed attitude to parenting, and if his son wanted to go off and race motorbikes, she was pretty sure he'd just tell him he wasn't paying the hospital bills.

Mike took her hand in his. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she replied.

Charlie smiled. "You kids have fun. Be back by eleven," he instructed, as they exited the house.

"You really think I couldn't handle a bike?" Bella asked as they walked to Mike's car.

"Bella, you know I really like you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that includes your shortcomings. And anything involving a lot of hand to eye co-ordination is one of them."

"Fine."

"Oh, don't be mad at me…"

"I'm not mad," Bella lied. In truth, she felt very irritated indeed that Mike had taken her natural clumsiness and exaggerated it into some sort of medical condition. Yes, she wasn't that hot when it came to catching, throwing or hitting things. That didn't mean she couldn't walk down the school corridor without bumping into the walls. Well, apart from that one time, but they had done blood typing and she had never been very good at dealing with blood. There was a reason it stayed on the inside, as far as Bella was concerned.

She suddenly formed the kernel of a very stupid idea. Maybe Embry would have to wait before he got to play with that second bike.

* * *

On the evening of Jacob's birthday, Bella took her truck, and her gifts, up to his house in La Push. Billy wheeled himself out onto the porch when she stopped the car.

"Hi, Billy. Is Jake about?" Bella called, brightly. Billy looked a little grave.

"What's happened?" she asked, her forehead puckering.

Billy managed a kind smile. "Oh, it's nothing that serious, Bella." He wheeled in closer and whispered, "He and Kelly split up today. He's kind of upset."

"Oh no," Bella replied sympathetically. "Would it be better if I came back another time?" She jerked her thumb towards her truck and made to leave.

Billy shook his head. "Come in," he said. "You might just be able to cheer him up a bit. It's such a waste for him to get so upset over that silly girl."

Bella couldn't help but smile. Billy may be a relaxed parent, but he clearly still had strong feelings about who was good enough for his only son, the baby of the family. The only one still at home.

She absently wondered if anyone would be good enough.

"He's the second on the left," Billy said, pointing down the hallway.

Bella knocked on the door. "Jake? It's Bella. Can I come in?"

There was no answer. Bella looked down the hallway at Billy.

"Just go in," he mouthed, flicking his hand nonchalantly.

Cautiously, Bella opened the door.

She had never seen Jacob's room before. It was a little smaller than hers, with a bed wedged up in the corner and a few posters on the walls: cars, scantily clad girls, cars with scantily clad girls draped across them. There was a definite theme. There was a dresser pushed against one wall, with a slightly cracked mirror. A plastic table cloth had been folded over the surface of the dresser and had on it a number of small wooden carvings and some metal chains, along with a soldering iron and some small pots of acrylic paint. There was a bigger structure leaning against the scratched closet; it looked like a totem pole, half painted.

So, he made crafts, too. The boy really did have magic hands.

At the moment, the boy with the magic hands was sitting curled up on his bed, facing the window, and sniffing.

"Jake?" Bella said tentatively.

Jacob jumped out of his skin and quickly wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. "Oh. Hey, Bells. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to wish you 'Happy Birthday', but… your dad told me about you and Kelly." She stepped forward, and heard a crunch. Looking down, she realised she had stepped on a photo frame, the glass cover smashed. The photo underneath was of Jacob and Kelly in formal wear. She imagined it must have been taken at their last prom. Did sophomores have proms? She knew Forks High didn't, but perhaps Jacob's school was different. "Sorry," she whispered.

Jacob turned around, and smirked. "Don't be. I was the one who did most of the damage to it," he admitted darkly.

"What happened?" Bella asked, sitting next to him on the edge of his bed.

Jacob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "She dumped me. On my birthday, can you believe it?"

"She dumped you?" Bella found this hard to believe, given the amount of fierce glares Kelly had shot her way just for speaking to him a few months ago.

Jacob snorted in derision. "Well, I caught her making out with Jared off in the woods; we were having a party on the beach. I guess that counts as being dumped, right?"

"What a bitch!" Bella exclaimed.

Jacob shrugged. "Yeah. Me and Jared got in a fight." He rolled up his sleeve and showed Bella a nasty bruise on his upper arm, emphasised more by the way his muscles stretched out the skin. "But I gave him a black eye, so I think I won."

"Did she say why?"

"She didn't really give me much of a reason. Said they'd been going behind my back for ages, that Jared made her feel more, alive, or something. Girls always like the bad boys, though, don't they? The brooding guys who hate the world."

Bella put her arms around him, almost unconsciously. "Only stupid girls," she assured him. "Real girls know that guys like that are assholes who are only going to hurt them. Real girls like the guys who treat them right, and are sweet, and kind, and funny… and really good at fixing cars." She let the statement hang in the air. Jacob smiled and returned the hug.

"Damn it, Bells, I wish I could hug you more," he said.

Bella dutifully climbed onto his lap. "That any better for you?" she asked, and Jacob nodded, squeezing her more tightly and resting his head on her shoulder. She rested her head against his. "You'll find a girl like that, someday," she said. "So don't let Kelly get you down. She's not worth it."

"I know," he said sadly. "I just… Why couldn't she have just told me? Why did she have to do that, at my birthday party?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. Because she's a bitch?" she offered.

"Until I hear evidence to the contrary, that's what I'm going with," Jacob said, with resolve in his voice.

Bella smiled and stroked his hair. "You sound better already."

Jacob shrugged. "Well, the view I've got of your boobs from here is enough to put a smile on any guy's face…"

Bella smacked his arm, hard. "Jacob! That does it. I'm moving, right now!" She made to get off his lap, but Jacob held her closer.

"Aww, come on, Bells. I've had my heart broken and been humiliated at my own birthday party. Let me have this, huh? I promise I won't tell Mike."

"Fine," Bella harrumphed, remaining seated on his lap. "But this is an once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Special dispensation, okay?"

"Okay, hon," Jacob replied, keeping his arms wrapped around her as though she were a comforter.

Bella rested her head against his again, and they remained like that until she suddenly sat upright.

"Hey, don't you want to see your present?"

"Hmm?"

"Your birthday present!" She wriggled out of Jacob's arms, stood up on the floor, and held out her hand. "It's outside," she explained. Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"Outside? What is it, a Porsche?" He grinned.

Bella gave him a mildly disparaging look. "If I could afford to buy you a Porsche, do you really think I'd be living in Forks? I'd be off travelling the world, searching for a first edition of 'Wuthering Heights'…"

Jacob shrugged. "Porsches are douche cars anyway," he affirmed.

"Huh?"

"Cars driven by douches," he explained. He stood up and took her hand. "Come on, then!"

They got outside, and Bella excitedly removed the tarpaulin from her truck, revealing the two damaged motorcycles. "They don't work; one of the Marks' was trying to get rid of them. I bought them and a bunch of parts off him, figured you might like to fix them up…"

Jacob stared and said nothing.

Bella chewed on her knuckle anxiously for a moment. "Well, say something. If you don't like them, it's no big deal. I can—"

"Are you kidding?" Jacob was still staring wildly at her. "How is it that half an hour ago, this was just about the worst birthday ever, and then, you turned up and made it awesome?" He rushed over to her, and hugged her so tightly she felt as though all the air had been knocked out of her. Jacob lifted her up to his height, and Bella felt her feet lift clean off the floor. "What's next, you got a bikini back there?" he asked letting her go.

"No, why?"

Jacob shrugged, grinned. "Just wondered whether you were planning on posing on the bikes later? Or maybe making me spaghetti with meatballs and feeding them to me?"

"Jacob, what are you on about?" Bella felt a little uncomfortable.

"Well, you've fulfilled about fifty percent of my fantasies already. I wondered if you were going the full whack?"

"Jacob…" Bella looked at him and flashed him a mocking grin. "Am I one of your fantasies, then?"

Jacob blushed scarlet, but laughed it off. "Any girl that could work a bikini would do the job." He hugged her again; then pulled away momentarily and looked at her with a serious expression. "This is beyond awesome. Really. Thank you, Bells."

* * *

Jacob chattered away excitedly as Bella helped him to wheel the motorcycles into his garage. She noticed a black shiny Volkswagen car standing proudly towards the back of the garage. Jacob followed her gaze.

"That's the Rabbit," he said. "Almost done. Just need to service her again, finish off the paint job—"

"Wow, and I'd thought you were on about a pet you had?"

Jacob gave Bella a sharp look. "I'm going to pretend you either didn't say that, or you made a lame pun. Your choice."

"Umm… lame pun," Bella decided on, grinning. She also noticed the addition of the weights and bench press in the corner of the room. "Hey, you don't have to do all that gym stuff now," she commented.

Jacob shrugged. "I think I might keep it up," he said.

"Really?"

"Sure. I was getting into it. Plus, I can't say it'd be a bad thing if I got ripped enough that Kelly was begging for me to take her back."

"After everything she did?" Bella couldn't believe it.

Jacob laughed. "Bells, I wouldn't take her back! I'd just like her to see what it's like."

Bella grinned and leaned against the work surface near the window. "Ah, I believe a desire for revenge is one of the many stages of break-up recovery."

"Really, which one?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. Shall we say the third?"

"Out of?"

"Umm, seven. I think."

Jacob grunted with the effort of tilting one of the bikes onto a set of lifts. "Okay, what are the other six?"

"Well…"

"You don't know, do you?"

"I'm thinking!"

Bella drummer her fingers against the work top while Jacob started pouring over the bucket of parts, laying each item out onto a blanket and examining each one in turn.

"There's denial, then pain, then anger- see, you're at anger, with the revenge thing. Then, you have reflection, improvement, reconstruction. Then finally acceptance," she concluded.

"Reconstruction?" Jacob frowned at her, confused.

"I think it means when you start to fix things in your life," she replied.

Jacob laughed and pointed at the bikes. "I think I'm already there."

Bella rolled her eyes and walked over to him, crouching down to where he was arranging the parts. "Yeah, funny. Don't rush it. These things take time."

Jacob looked over his shoulder at her and grinned. "Don't worry. Jacob Black is going to be a girl-free zone for a while… Except for you," he added swiftly. "Any chick that gets me motorcycles for my birthday can stay as long as she likes."

He pouted for a moment, prodded some sort of cylinder. "Why two?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why two bikes?"

"There were two on the road," she explained. "I figured Embry might want to join you."

"You remembered he likes bikes?" Jacob seemed surprised.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?"

Jacob shrugged. "Don't know. I just didn't exactly expect it."

Bella knelt down on the ground next to him. "Although, I was wondering…"

Jacob put down the cylinder he was examining and turned to face her. "Oh, a catch. I knew it," he joked.

Bella swatted his arm, and he became serious. "Seriously, you don't have to," she insisted, "but I was wondering if you'd maybe teach me how to ride one of these?"

"Sure," he replied without a moment's hesitation. "You can ride a push bike, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then you've got the balance part. The rest should come easy. Sort of."

She smiled, leant back on her hands. "Mike was ragging on me. He reckoned I couldn't do it."

"He's wrong."

"He thinks because I'm so clumsy, I shouldn't even try."

"He's wrong," Jacob repeated.

Bella looked at him, brushed her hair behind her ear. "Why?" she asked.

Jacob touched her hand gently. "Because nobody shouldn't try something because they might not be good at it. That's dumb. And you're good at learning new stuff. You picked up all that stuff with the truck pretty quickly… And… and you're sort of awesome." He looked away a little hesitantly then smirked. "Anyway, you _are_ clumsy. So you're used to the pain of falling over…" He winced as Bella smacked him on the arm. "Ow! Hey, that's my bruised arm, you cheat!" he remonstrated, while trying to grab Bella's wrists and pin her down.

"Quit making excuses!" Bella launched herself at him and managed to force him to the floor, tickling him into submission.

"No fair, Bella Swan!" Jacob yelped.

"I had no idea you were ticklish. That's useful to know."

"Hey, hey! Alright, I surrender! Bells, I give up! Stop it!" he begged, squirming under her dancing fingers.

They were distracted by a loud coughing noise. Bella turned around and saw Quil and Embry standing in the doorway, gawping at them. She hurriedly disentangled herself from Jacob.

"Um, hi," she said, offering a weak wave. Quil and Embry gave each other a meaningful look. "We've been looking for you, Jake. Wondered if you were okay after…" Embry trailed off and smirked. "You seem to be getting over it."

Bella felt herself burn crimson. "It wasn't… We were just—"

Jacob grinned excitedly. "Look what Bella got me for my birthday," he said, gesturing towards the two motorbikes.

Embry's eyes widened like nickels. "Awesome!" he breathed, rushing over to where the bikes were stood up to inspect them more closely.

"Hey, the Harley's mine!"

Quil looked at Bella, almost accusingly. "You _bought_ him _bikes_ as a birthday present?"

"I found them; they needed serious work, so I got them really cheap," Bella protested, forcing her hands into her pockets.

Quil's expression didn't change.

"Anyway, it's not all selfless," Bella continued, "Jake's going to give me riding lessons…"

Quil's lips twitched. Embry glanced across at him and promptly burst out laughing.

Jacob scowled at them both. "Get. Out," he said warningly. His tone had no effect on his two friends, who continued to giggle hysterically.

Bella suddenly realised what she had said, and hid her face in her hands. "I didn't mean… you know damn well what I meant!"

Quil and Embry continued to laugh.

"Oh, Bella. Never change," Quil spluttered out, as he started to calm down.

Jacob sighed. "Anyway, Bells; are you going to come by and help out with the build? I've got the Rabbit to finish off, but then I'm all set."

"Sure," Bella replied. "Why not?"


	5. Chapter Four: Escalation

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Things are strained between Bella and Mike, and an increasing number of people are unconvinced Jacob and Bella are just friends.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, Confettirainfall and thejmeyer

* * *

**Chapter Four: Escalation**

"So, you think you might be free tomorrow?" Mike's tone was eager, demanding almost.

Bella didn't know how to react; Mike was never usually this insistent. "I don't know, Mike," she replied, more testily than she had intended. "Jake and I are getting close to finishing the bikes."

Mike exhaled deeply, the sound carrying through the receiver and vibrating in Bella's ear. "What about Friday?" he offered resignedly.

"Sure. I don't see why not," Bella replied mechanically, and it suddenly struck her that she should sound more enthusiastic. She should certainly feel it.

"You don't have plans with Jacob?"

"No, not… Mike, what's up?" Bella asked, feeling somewhat foolish for not picking up on his irritation sooner.

She heard Mike sigh loudly on the other end of the phone. "Nothing, except recently he appears to see more of you than your own boyfriend does."

"Come on, Mike. You see me at school," she reasoned, twisting the telephone cord around her index finger in a way she only ever did when her mother asked one of those awkward questions that Bella didn't want to furnish with an answer.

"It's not the same, Bella."

Bella sighed. "Sorry, Mike. I know. It's just, we're so close, and the sooner we're done-"

"The sooner you can nearly get yourself killed racing on one of them," Mike replied dryly.

"Mike, I'm just going to play on one of the dirt tracks. I'm not about to race round the main roads and ignore red lights and intersections." Bella felt her cheeks burn red in annoyance.

"If I tell you I'm really, really sorry for being a jerk and suggesting you couldn't ride a bike because of your inherent clumsiness, will you forgive me and drop this crazy idea?"

Bella sighed and twiddled the phone cord around her middle finger as well. "I really want to try this, Mike. I promise I'll be careful. Anyway, Friday. What did you want to do?"

"I don't know. Movies, maybe? There's that new disaster flick that's just come out."

"Oh, I've already seen that. I went with Jake, Quil and Embry the other evening." Bella braced herself for the sharp hiss Mike made into the phone. "There's a romantic comedy that's been on for a while?" she offered meekly.

"I hate romantic comedies, Bella."

"What about that new horror flick that's out on Friday? You can protect me from all the scary bits?" she offered to tempt him with the deal.

"Sure, sounds good. Hey, my folks are out of town. Maybe you could, you know, stop over?"

Bella felt herself tense. She knew exactly what Mike meant by 'stop over', and she wasn't sure she was ready for it yet. "I don't know."

"No pressure. We don't have to, you know, do anything. I'd just like to spend a night with you."

"Mike, I don't think I could." The words sounded a lot more casual to her ears than they felt as she prised them from her lips.

"Hey, it's cool. Just a suggestion. Did you want to go out for the day on Saturday?"

"Can't, Mike."

"Jacob again?"

"No, Angela and I are shopping for dresses. You know, for the Sadie Hawkins dance I actually asked you to this time and which you graciously said yes to?"

Mike laughed. "Oh yeah, I remember. I can't believe I got you to come to a formal. But that isn't for weeks!"

"Well, according to Angela, we have to plan ahead. I'm taking her advice."

* * *

Which is why Bella found herself parking her world weary truck in a parking lot near the harbour on Saturday, Angela in the passenger seat.

"I still can't believe he rebuilt this. I saw your poor truck when it got smashed!"

"I know," Bella replied. "Magic hands." Angela giggled when Bella made a quick jazz-hands gesture.

As they walked through the parking lot, Bella's attention was caught by a shiny black Volkswagen Rabbit. She peered at it, recognising the upholstery of the seats, and then checking the licence plate number to be sure.

"Hey, Jake's here," she commented, remembering how he had laughed when she rattled off his licence plate number because, _"I sure as hell don't know it, Bells."_

"Is that his car then?" Angela asked.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, another one he rebuilt."

"Wow."

"Magic. Hands," Bella emphasised as they hit the shopping area. Angela looked thoughtful as they walked towards "Handbags and Gladrags", apparently the only place in the area worth getting your prom dress from.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" she queried suddenly.

"Who?"

"Jacob Black."

Bella smiled a little. "Sure. He's a nice guy."

"Not a nice kid?" Angela asked, her voice loaded with meaning.

Bella shrugged. "Kid. Guy. Whatever. He's a good friend."

"Hmm." Angela remained quiet as they entered the shop, a small boutique decorated with a mixture of bare brick work, burnt metal framed mirrors and edgily posed mannequins. It didn't fit the quaint feel of the rest of the shops along the street.

Almost the moment the wind chime tied to the top of the doorframe jangled, a cheerful looking woman with hair in pigtails and dressed a decade too young greeted them. "Hey there, girls. You looking for something special to knock your dates off their feet?"

"I guess," Bella replied uncertainly.

Angela grabbed her hand. "Relax, Bella. You might even have fun."

The woman looked shocked, as though the very idea of not being ecstatic about prom dresses was a crime in of itself. "Well, we're going to have to help you out, aren't we?" She examined Bella with a practised air. "You're kind of skinny, and so many girls long to have your figure. You know, we've just the thing." She turned her attention to Angela. "Wow, you're so tall! I got a delivery just yesterday from one of our specialist stockists; they know just how to make the most of a girl like you... Just, hold on! Take a seat!" She clapped excitedly and rushed off to the store room.

Bella sat down warily. Angela joined her, albeit more happily. "Just give it a try, huh?" she encouraged. "At least this way you don't have to worry about finding something for yourself."

Bella managed a laugh. "That's a good point."

Soon Bella was festooned with dresses, more than she had ever encountered before. Short, long, sequinned, silk, taffeta, multi coloured, one colour, two tone. She felt dizzy after a while as Kate threw garment after garment into her outstretched arms and over her shoulders, to the point that Bella felt she could carry no more.

"Ooh, try this one," the woman insisted, holding up a long dress that looked like liquid deep purple with a boned bodice and laced up at the back with silvery ribbon.

Bella laughed nervously. Just looking at it made her feel awkward. "I don't know."

"Try it. Trust me," the woman said, grabbing the pile of dresses from her and thrusting the new one into her now free hands. Bella agreed, purely because it was apparent that the sooner she tried the dress on, the sooner it could come off.

Angela stepped out of the dressing room in a silver-white halter-neck gown, and the shop owner sighed appreciatively. "That is so gorgeous on you! You must have it. I won't even let you try anything else on in this shop!" She placed her hand to her heart as if making a solemn vow.

"It looks really nice," Bella agreed, with far less enthusiasm than the shop owner but more enthusiasm than she felt she had ever expressed at a dress in her life.

"I really like it," Angela enthused, nudging Bella. "Come on, try yours on!"

Bella dutifully took herself off to the dressing room with the purple dress and began to strip.

"We have shoes to match all of our dresses – not too high, so perfect for dancing, and we've just started a jewellery line…" Bella could hear the owner explain all this to Angela. She stepped into the purple dress and pulled it up, trying not to tear anything.

The door jangled open. Bella heard the woman make an odd high pitched squeal of excitement. "Oh, and you can see some of our newest acquisitions right now!" she exclaimed. "These boys have just brought me this month's order, right?"

Bella heard the gentle tickling of metal against metal.

"Your stuff is so beautiful, Jacob…" Kate sounded almost awestruck.

"It's not mine. I just hock the stuff around."

Bella froze. Jacob Black was in this dress shop, and she just prayed he would leave before she had to walk out in this dress. With great difficulty and awkwardness, she managed to lace the back up, tying it in a neat bow at the small of her back.

She heard the woman laugh. "Of course. I believe you." She sounded utterly unconvinced. "I keep saying: he shouldn't be embarrassed about it. He's got a real talent."

"Yeah. Magic hands, or so I've heard," Angela said, her voice wavering with a giggle.

Suddenly, Bella heard the woman exclaim in ecstasy. "Oh. My. God! That necklace… There is a girl in my dressing room right now trying on the most wonderful dress, and that would be the most perfect piece of jewellery to go with it."

Jacob coughed uncomfortably. "Sorry, Kate. That piece isn't for sale."

"Yeah, it's for his Sugar Mommy-"

"Shut up, Quil!"

Bella heard a dull thud. "Ow!"

"Boys, boys!" Kate was laughing.

"I keep saying, Quil, it's Bella to his face," Embry's voice said, sniggering.

"_Please don't give me away, Angela,"_ Bella thought desperately.

"Bella? She's in there, trying on that dress," the traitor replied, in her sweetly innocent voice. Footsteps rushed over to Bella's safe house and knuckles rapped against the wooden door frame.

"Are you ready?" Kate called.

There was no escape. Bella cautiously opened the door and walked outside, lifting up handfuls of the dress so as not to trip on the fabric pooling over the floor.

Kate gasped. "Oh. Wow. That is so gorgeous!"

"It's a bit long."

"Pfft, I can pin that. Give me a couple of hours, and I'll have it adjusted just for you. Free of charge." She spun Bella around and tightened the back, lacing it up so hard Bella felt the breath get knocked out of her body, before tucking her fingers beneath the ribbon and loosening it a little, tying it in a double bow. Then Kate gestured to the others to come forward. "You have to see this!"

Bella felt herself grow increasingly red as Angela, Jacob, Quil and Embry scrutinised her in the strapless gown, as though she were a prize winning dog in a 'Best of Breed' competition.

"It's so nice," Angela said excitedly. Quil and Embry stroked their chins with their left hands, resting their elbows inside their right palms.

"Mmm, yes. The colours are exquisite."

"Most radiant, Bella dear. Most radiant."

They burst into helpless sniggering. Kate glared at them. "Boys! This is a serious matter!"

Jacob glanced across at her and raised an eyebrow casually. "Damn, you look… you look very nice," he finished, looking away and growing pink cheeked. He held up the necklace in his hand. "You should get that dress," he advised.

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Because I'm a genius." He walked up to her and held the necklace aloft. "I made this as a birthday present for you. Guess you might as well have it now. It matches pretty well."

Reaching out for the pendant Jacob dangled in front of her, Bella carefully examined it. Transfixed by the silver chain with a shiny purple stone set into an ornate metal tribal design, Bella was more amazed at how exquisitely crafted it was than whether it matched the dress. "It's beautiful, Jake," she whispered. "Thank you."

Jacob shrugged. "It's no big deal. The stone's crushed up shell and dye between glass, and the rest of it's silver plated," he admitted. "But it means you shouldn't break out in a rash…"

Before Jacob could even finish, Bella tucked her hands through her hair and piled it up on top of her head, exposing her bare neck. "Could you put it on me, please?" she asked.

"Sure." He stepped behind her, unclasped the necklace and slipped it around her neck, his fingers warm against her skin. To her surprise, the whole room felt suddenly warm, and Bella felt a little dizzy as she looked down to see the pendant piece nestle against her chest.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Angela look at Embry, who shrugged.

"All done," Jacob whispered into her hair, letting his hands linger on her collar bone before moving away. Bella suddenly felt a little cold. She let her hair tumble around her shoulders as Jacob smoothed it down, sweeping a tendril behind her ear.

"You look really nice," he said, his expression oddly sad. He looked away suddenly and walked over to Kate, who handed over a wad of bank notes for a collection of necklaces, bangles and rings. "See you later," Jacob called out cheerfully, as he left the shop with a lighter box of wares.

"Yeah, later," Quil added.

Embry waved at Bella, but looked Angela up and down appreciatively. "Definitely," he said, flashing her a smile before he too left the shop.

Angela burst into giggles. "I can't believe…" She shook her head in shock.

Kate patted her on the shoulder. "I think you made a friend, dear," she said, before popping into a back room and returning with a step stool and a set of pins. She put the step stool down on the floor and gestured for Bella to stand on it.

Angela sat watching as Kate pinned Bella's dress to a more practical length, her legs tucked beneath her on a window seat, her expression incredulous. "Are you serious?" she demanded.

"About what?" Bella asked.

"He's just a friend?"

They both knew who she was talking about.

Bella nodded. "Of course. He's a good guy, we're friends. What's so crazy about that?"

"The fact that you're _so_ not just friends?" Kate piped up.

"Excuse me?" Bella felt slightly indignant at this stranger butting into her life.

"She's right, Bella. The way he looked at you…"

"The way you look at him… He's really not your boyfriend?" Kate seemed to find the concept impossible to understand.

"No, he's not. I have a boyfriend, and he's the one I'm taking to this prom… dance… thing," she insisted.

Angela looked concerned. "Bella, I think you really need to re-examine this."

"What's to re-examine? What's to examine, come think of it?"

Angela managed a humourless giggle. "Well, there's the fact he made you a custom piece of jewellery for your birthday months in advance, the fact you spend more time with him than you do Mike, the fact his friends are even convinced there's something going on – you know as well as I do that sixteen year old boys possess no intuition about this sort of thing whatsoever, which can only mean it's blindingly obvious-"

"There's the fact you practically swooned in that boy's arms earlier," Kate added.

"We're just friends," Bella protested hotly. "Jake is good with crafts; it's not surprising he made me a present. We've been building bikes, so of course we've spent a lot of time together. His friends just like to make fun of us." She looked down at Kate, who was still pinning her dress. "And I did not swoon!"

Kate took the pin out of her mouth and slid it into the dress. She stayed kneeling on the floor and looked up at Bella. "Oh really? What would you call this?" She fluttered her eyelashes, leant her head back and sighed heavily. She then picked up another pin and continued along the hem of the dress. "Because that's exactly what you did."

"I did not!" Bella argued.

"You did," Angela agreed. "Bella, I think you're in serious denial. And that's fine, except that you're dating Mike. I know you wouldn't want to hurt him, so you should really try and sort out what's going on with Jacob. You're only going to end up hurting both of them."

"For the last time," Bella maintained. "We. Are. Just. Friends!"

* * *

A week later, Bella found herself alone with Jacob on a dirt track surrounded by grassland. The bikes had finally been completed, with a combination of perspiration, engine grease and Bella's home cooking to sustain them both.

Jacob stood over Bella as she grasped the bike between her legs, her hands gripping the handlebars, trying to stay upright. "You got all that?" he asked.

Bella nodded, remembering his explanation. "Clutch, acceleration, brake. Don't go too slowly," she repeated. "Got it."

"Cool." Jacob walked over to his bike, straddled it and kicked the stand up before starting the engine. "Do you want to go first and have me follow?" he shouted over the roar of the engine.

"You go first; I'll follow," Bella insisted. Jacob nodded and set off, thundering along the dirt path. Bella kicked the stand, started the engine and gently released the clutch as she revved the engine and started to power down the track towards Jacob.

It was exhilarating: the wind in her hair, the rumble of the bike as it obeyed her physical commands. She was upright, it was moving, and everything was great… until she crashed into Jacob. She had spent so much time concentrating on not falling off, she hadn't paid much attention to where she was going.

Bella screamed as Jacob went flying, the bike one direction, him another. She stopped suddenly, and the bike toppled over, taking her with it. The engine stalled. She was hurt, but not enough that she couldn't get up from under the bike and rush towards Jacob.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" she yelled as she reached him.

He was sitting up, groaning in pain. "I'm fine, Bells." He managed a chuckle. "I mixed things up; I think the first lesson should have been about watching where you're going."

Bella wasn't laughing. "You're bleeding," she said quietly, staring at his forehead where a rivulet of blood was trickling from his hairline.

Jacob reached up and touched it, feeling the wet warmth of his own blood. "Shit," he muttered.

"I don't have a first aid kit!" Bella said, panicking.

"It's fine, Bells."

Bella had already stripped off her jacket and tank top, using the white cotton of the latter to dab at Jacob's cut.

He looked her up and down, and grinned. "I should cut my head more often."

"Shut up," Bella retorted, feeling the cold and wishing for the first time in her life she actually had a padded bra. "Don't stare," she ordered as she felt Jacob's eyes travel down to her chest.

"I can't help it," he murmured, just as Bella started to feel a little queasy. She'd never been good in the presence of exposed blood.

Then she managed to do something even more embarrassing than knocking her best friend off his motorbike and then stripping down to her bra in front of him.

She threw up. All over him.

Jacob looked a little surprised as Bella covered her mouth in shame.

"I'm so sorry. So very, very…"

"Relax, Bella. It's just my shirt," he said, standing up groggily. He tried to ease himself out of it and grimaced.

"Jake, I'm sorry…"

"Hey, I said don't sweat it." He managed a smile. "As cute as I think you are, I just don't fancy getting your barf in my hair." Jacob tightened his hair tie and pulled his ponytail underneath the neck line of his t-shirt, before pulling the shirt off in a swift movement, dodging any vomit that was thrown off as a result.

"See, no harm done," he said, as Bella started to see the barren landscape spin in front of her.

* * *

By the time she woke up, Bella felt a set of strong arms gently lie her down on a blanket. She blinked groggily and looked around; she was in Jacob's garage. He was looking down at her, stroking her hair from her face. A cell phone was in his hand.

"Quil? Yeah, it's me. Listen; could you and Embry do me a favour? I've had to leave our bikes down by the dirt track… Erm, Bella sort of fainted… We're in the garage… Of course I did, what kind of pussy do you think I am?... I don't know, because I was bleeding, I guess… It's just a cut, nothing serious." He laughed and nodded at Bella. "No, I don't think she swooned, Quil." He rolled his eyes for Bella's benefit. "Well, she also puked over me a few minutes before, so read something into that… Yeah, later, bro." He clicked the cell phone off.

"How you feeling, Bells?" he asked, as Bella pulled herself up into a sitting position. He put his hands out. "Easy there!" he instructed, reaching for a bottle of soda, which he opened and handed to her. "Drink this. It's warm, but it'll do."

Bella greedily sucked down the drink and wiped her face as she took a breath. "Thanks, Jake," she said, looking at him. "Wow, you really have kept the whole working out thing up," she commented woozily.

Jacob looked down at himself and his face flushed a little. "Well, thanks for noticing."

"You need to get that cut looked at," Bella insisted.

Jacob shrugged. "I've got a first aid kit over with the tools," he explained. Bella stood up and walked over to it.

"Bella, you've only just woken up."

"I feel fine," she called, retrieving the kit and a fold-up chair. She opened it out and set it on the floor. "Sit," she ordered. Jacob obeyed as Bella pulled out some antiseptic cream and a swab of cotton wool, licking the end and wiping up the dry blood. "This may sting a little," she said, dabbing the cream onto her finger and rubbing it gently into the wound. Jacob hissed.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she soothed.

"Sorry, Nurse Bella," Jacob replied, as Bella rooted though the first aid kit.

"Ah ha, that's what we need," she exclaimed triumphantly, holding a set of butterfly strips aloft. "You're really well prepared."

Jacob shrugged. "Last time I needed a first aid kit, it was in class. I nearly cut my finger off with a lathe," he explained. "You kind of make sure you've got everything after something like that happens…"

Using a pair of small scissors in the kit, Bella snipped a few butterfly strips off and began attaching them to Jacob's wound.

"This should hold the cut together better than a Band-Aid," she explained as she bent over him, holding his forehead with one hand and applying the strip with the other. She leant forward, slipped her legs over his to get closer, and applied another strip a little further up the cut, allowing a small space between the two strips for aeration. She continued in this manner until she had used four strips and pressed them carefully, but firmly, to his forehead.

"There we go," she announced proudly.

"Thanks, Nurse," Jacob replied cheekily, until he suddenly fell to the floor, which made Bella lurch into him, crashing against him. The chair he was sitting on had broken, and they were both sprawled ungainly on the floor. By the time Bella realised Jacob's face was crushed against her chest, he was too busy laughing to notice her mortification.

"It's never dull with you, is it?" he sniggered, pulling himself up into a seated position and grasping Bella's hips, keeping her steady.

"Sorry," Bella breathed, her face feeling so hot she was sure they could have cooked some marshmallows over it.

Jacob looked at her, his eyes a little wide. "Don't be. The chair couldn't take my weight."

"I didn't mean that…"

"I know." He didn't take his eyes off her. "Don't be."

Bella swallowed. This was awkward. She was half naked and sitting in his lap, straddling him, while his bare chest was so close his nipples were almost out of focus, which didn't quite distract her from the way his hands gently rested on her hips. Her breasts had been in his face only a few moments before and the way he was staring at her was… new. Bella felt her stomach somersault messily, pooling inside her, and she tried to look away from Jacob's intense gaze. Her eyes travelled down to his muscled chest… that didn't help. Then they flitted down to his crotch, and that really didn't help, because she could see, _see_, that he was having the same sorts of feelings she was.

He brushed her hair tenderly off her face and behind her ears as his fingertips trailed across her cheek.

"Jake…" Her words died at the look on his face. He was pouting, chewing the inside of his lip. Staring.

"Hey, the bike rescue team are back in record time!" Quil shouted as he and Embry wheeled in a bike apiece. Then they stopped dead and gawped.

"Jesus, why is it every time we walk in on you two there's an undercurrent of sex…" Quil trailed off as Embry looked at the floor, clearing his throat with a small cough.

"Should we go?"

"Stay!" Jacob and Bella called simultaneously, as Bella clambered off Jacob and stood up. She noticed Jacob surreptitiously reach for the nearby first aid kit, which he placed strategically over his groin.

Embry and Quil looked at each other, looked back, then looked at each other again and frowned.

"Guys? You know we'd keep quiet, right?" Quil said.

"Huh?" Jacob sounded confused.

Embry sighed a little. "About you two. If there's something going on, we won't tell anyone if you're trying to keep it secret, or whatever."

Bella let out a growl of frustration. "We're just friends! Why does everyone have such a hard time with this concept?"

She noticed Embry and Quil give Jacob a meaningful glance. She did her best to ignore it.

* * *

Thus, a pattern emerged, one which Bella saw repeat itself every time she and Jacob met after _'_Bike-gate', as she referred to it.

"_He's a friend. He's just a friend,"_ she repeated to herself like a mantra, when Charlie and Billy left them alone in her house while they went off fishing one Sunday.

"It's going to be dark soon," Jacob commented, flopping down next to Bella on the sofa. "What are they still trying to fish for?" His expression darkened. "You don't suppose they're doing something other than fishing? Dude, I saw _"B__rokeback Mountain"_."

"Jacob, I'm fairly confident your dad and my dad aren't off doing any of the things that happened in that film," Bella insisted, stretching. She caught Jacob watching her and stopped.

He sighed. "Bells, whatever Quil and Embry said…"

"Forget it, Jake," she said quickly.

"I… I just like spending time with you. I don't expect anything. I know you've been seeing Mike for ages," he said quietly.

"Well, that's good, then."

Jacob stood up suddenly. "Bella, you've been acting really weird around me lately."

Bella felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. "Really? I didn't realise."

"I just… I don't want you to be weird around me. We're friends, and I like it. Okay?"

Bella exhaled the deep breath she had been holding all throughout Jacob's little speech, the tension replaced with relief. "Sure, sure," Bella replied, with a genuine smile.

Jacob sat back down next to her, patted her knee briefly. "Cool. Now, do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure, what do you want to see?"

Jacob shrugged. "Don't know… You look freezing, Bells. Do you want a sweater?"

Bella had felt the chill settle around her. "I'll go and get a quilt," she announced. "You find something in our collection, and there's some popcorn in the kitchen. The stuff you put in the microwave."

"Awesome," Jacob replied, rushing to the kitchen as Bella went to her room and dragged down her quilt.

By the time she had returned to the living room, Jacob hadn't even switched the TV on. He was too busy with his ear pressed to the microwave door, listening to the popping.

"You're such a child," Bella shouted. "I'll pick a movie, huh?"

She heard the microwave ping, the door open and Jacob curse mildly as he, presumably, took out the bag of popcorn without letting it cool. A few moments later, he returned with a bowl full of popcorn and two cans of soda. He handed one of the cans to Bella and sat himself close to her, the bowl of popcorn in his lap.

As the film started, Bella leant her head against Jacob's shoulder, wrapping the quilt around them both while Jacob mechanically munched through the popcorn.

"Isn't she Queen Elizabeth?" he asked between mouthfuls.

Bella nodded. "Yeah." Then she frowned. "Isn't _she_ Queen Elizabeth?"

"Dunno."

"Yeah, she was. In that movie about Shakespeare where Gwyneth Paltrow cross-dressed…"

"I missed that film."

"You were probably too young." Bella squirmed as Jacob flicked her ear.

"Hey, I thought we had established that my mad mechanic skills and ability to handle vomit made me a strapping twenty-three years old?"

"Yeah, but my cooking and nurturing behaviour made me thirty-two," Bella countered.

Jacob smirked. "That dropped to, like, twenty-seven when you fainted at the sight of my blood."

"The smell, but hey, still older than you."

"My blood doesn't smell," Jacob complained.

Bella looked up at him. "Of course not," she dead-panned. "You bleed very sexily."

She instantly regretted it and felt her entire face burn crimson.

Jacob raised an eyebrow at her. "Wow. I'll have to remember that." He waved the bowl of popcorn in front of her. "Want some?" he asked.

"Sure."

Jacob grabbed a few pieces between his thumb and forefinger and dangled them in front of her. "Open up, then."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Yup."

Making a great show of it, Bella sighed heavily and parted her lips, allowing Jacob to slip the pieces of popcorn into her mouth. As she closed to chew, she caught Jacob's finger between her lips, grazing it on her teeth. He looked at her, his expression serious. He let his finger rest there for a moment, before slowly dragging it down her bottom lip, leaving a damp trail. When he pulled away, he swiftly turned his attention to the TV screen, his cheeks burning pink.

Bella felt her own cheeks grow hot.

Suddenly, Jacob's eyes widened. "Dude! He's totally screwing Queen Elizabeth!"

Bella stared at the screen. "No way, she's his teacher!"

To compound Bella's embarrassment, the school teacher and her pupil were indeed engaged in a relatively explicit sex act. On the TV, right in front of her. And Jacob.

She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and shifted further along the sofa, away from him.

Jacob avoided eye contact. They both avoided eye contact. Or digit touching. Or, at times, breathing. All evening.

By the time the film finished, Jacob was on his feet, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"I'd better go," he said, as soon as he heard Charlie's car pull up outside. "School tomorrow, you know…" He trailed off, staring at his shoes.

"Yeah, of course," Bella replied, also inspecting her laces. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure," Jacob replied, darting out of the house to greet his dad.

Charlie entered the living room, his expression one of suspicion and concern.

"What the hell happened, Bells?" he asked.

"Nothing," she insisted, grabbing her quilt. "I'm just going to go… school, you know?" She ran upstairs, unable to face anything.

Bella's dreams that night seemed to revolve around her as an easily swayed teacher, and Jacob as her self-assured pupil. And a town made entirely of popcorn, oddly enough.

When she woke, she thanked a god she had never normally heeded that nobody could read her mind and see her dreams in any more detail.


	6. Chapter Five: Consummation

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **A night at the cinema changes everything for Bella.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, Confettirainfall and thejmeyer

* * *

**Chapter Five: Consummation**

"A double date? With Jessica?" Mike looked at Bella, his expression incredulous.

"Sure, why not?"

"Because Jake's sixteen. Do you really think Jessica would handle that well?"

Bella shrugged. "Once she got to know him."

"Why are you so intent on hooking them up?" Mike laughed. "Has Jacob said something to you?"

"No, not at all," Bella insisted. "I just thought it might be nice."

Truth be told, Bella's reasons for setting up Jacob with any of her friends were more on the selfish side. It seemed logical; get him dating a girl, and then whatever _this_ was between them would go away. In a perfect world, Angela would have been single and Bella could have paired her with Jacob. That was more likely to have gone somewhere, but Angela and Ben were firmly an item.

She just couldn't take much more of this, the Jacob and Bella shaped elephant sitting in the corner of the room. She and Mike were an item; it shouldn't be so complicated.

Yet it was.

* * *

Friday night at the movies didn't help to make things any less complicated, especially when Bella got a phone call from Jessica just as she climbed into Jacob's car.

"Hey Bella, I can't make it tonight. I've got stomach flu," Jessica said in a voice slight enough for Bella to believe her.

"Oh," Bella replied, feeling very awkward. "Do you want us to reschedule?"

"No, it's fine. Not that I don't appreciate you setting me up with some twelve year old." Jessica's voice had a bite of sarcasm to it.

"Ouch!" Jacob snapped back, having evidentially heard Jessica's tinny voice through Bella's cell phone speaker.

"Hope you feel better soon," Bella said, her finger hovering over the 'end call' button.

"I'll just have to find myself another _old lady_, huh?" Jacob loudly proclaimed close enough to the phone that he clearly intended Jessica to hear.

"Jake!" Bella chided as she ended the call.

Jacob shrugged. "She started it," he complained. "Anyway, I guess I should go…"

"No, stay." Bella replied. "It's not your fault Jessica got sick. Come with us."

"Bella, I don't want to be the third wheel."

"You won't be, I promise," Bella insisted, before smiling cheekily. "Besides, we need your ride."

"Gee. Thanks, Bells," Jacob replied, jabbing his finger into the side of her waist and grinning when she squirmed.

They pulled up next to Mike's house, and Bella bounded up the steps and knocked on the door. He stepped out onto the porch and had barely managed to shut the door before Bella grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss.

"Wow, what's this for, hmm?" he asked, smiling, once she pulled away.

Bella shrugged. "No reason."

They walked to Jacob's car and Mike instantly frowned. "Where's Jessica?"

"She got stomach flu," Jacob answered. "And a sudden fear of discovering her inner Cougar, it turns out."

Mike laughed, and Jacob shrugged. "I know, some girls are scared they won't be able to resist my youthful charm," he replied flippantly, glancing momentarily at Bella who felt herself blush and turned away in the hope he wouldn't notice.

"She going to be okay?" Mike asked Bella.

"Sure, sure. She just needs rest and fluids. The usual," she replied.

Mike leaned into her. "He's still coming with us?" he whispered.

Bella nodded. "It's not Jake's fault Jessica got sick," she said. Mike nodded but made no real reply.

"I heard this movie is supposed to suck, big time," Jacob said with a laugh.

"Hey, it's a cinematic pulp classic of our time," Bella joked.

"It's also R rated. Are you even going to be able to get in?" Mike queried, with a grin.

"Sure, you guys are, like, my guardians." Jacob didn't even bother to try and hide his smirk.

"Okay, now I feel old," Bella moaned.

"You're only as old as the guy you feel," Jacob replied breezily. "So give me a squeeze, honey, if you want to lose a year or so." He winked at Bella, who noticed Mike grabbed her rather tightly until they reached the cinema in Port Angeles.

* * *

"Jake, seriously, it's cool. I've got these," Bella insisted when Jacob tried to pay her for his ticket.

"Well, let me get the popcorn."

"Mike's gone to get some."

Jacob walked over to a nearby vending machine and got three bottles of soda.

"Jake, really, it's fine."

"I wanted to contribute. I'm not your kept man, Bells," Jacob said testily.

"I didn't say you were," Bella replied, a little confused as to why Jacob had suddenly got so offended. She noticed his shoulders slump a little, but more to the point, she noticed almost too late that she was reaching out to caress his back in reassurance. Panicking, she froze, her hand in mid-air.

Jacob looked at her, his expression somewhat bewildered. Then he smiled. "Sorry, Bells. I'm just being a… Anyway, don't feel bad because your friend got sick and bailed." He laughed. "I got the impression she'd have freaked the moment I'd mentioned that one of you would have to buy my ticket."

Jacob pushed a soda bottle towards Bella who, as she reached to take it, brushed her fingers against his hand. She let them rest against him as they spoke.

"And it would've been her loss, Jake," Bella said quietly, sliding her fingers gently across his, up and down in a slow, rhythmic pattern.

He blushed but smiled. "Well, thanks, Bells."

"You guys ready?" Mike asked, clutching a large box of popcorn and glancing oddly at Bella and Jacob. Bella pulled away quickly.

"Of course," she said, rushing to hold hands with a bewildered Mike.

"Bells?" Jacob said as they entered the theatre.

"What?"

"You forgot your soda," he said, pressing the bottle to Bella's free hand and stroking his fingers over hers once she took it.

"Thanks."

"Here, Mike." Jacob handed Mike one of the soda bottles.

"Thanks."

The trailers had just finished when they found their seats, Bella sitting between Mike and Jacob. Initially, Bella was in charge of the popcorn, but Mike soon took that away from her when she jumped a mile in her seat and squealed when Jacob put his extraordinarily cold hands on her midriff, sending some of the popcorn flying onto the floor.

"You bastard!" Bella hissed, between giggles.

Jacob was sniggering helplessly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Your hands are so cold! They're never that cold!"

"I held onto the soda bottle especially."

"It wasn't even scary," Mike hissed.

"Yeah, that's what made it so funny," Jacob whispered back.

Bella did her best to concentrate on the film, but it wasn't easy: partly because it was ridiculous, partly because Mike kept holding her hand, or stroking the back of her neck, and partly because Jacob kept leaning into her and whispering wisecracks.

"Dude, there are guys who seriously pay to breastfeed from some chick? That's whack, man."

"No. Way. So, they wanted a sex scene in this film as well as a shoot-out, but didn't have enough time to fit in both… Hell, yeah– why not combine the two? Have sex, while taking part in a shoot-out! Forget the Mile High club, this is totally the one I'm going to have to try before I die. Talk about shooting your lo- Oh. My. God. They just made that joke. They actually said it, Bells, in the actual film!"

Bella kept giggling, and Jacob was laughing silently, but so hard that he was shaking the seats in front and the people sitting in them turned around to glare.

Suddenly, he leant over to Bella and brushed her hair gently behind her ear, his breath warm against her earlobe. Bella felt a tingle rush through her skin. "What accent is he trying to do, exactly?"

"I think it's British. He said he was a British Nanny earlier."

Bella felt Jacob chuckle against her skin, sending another rush through her nerves. "It sounds Australian or something."

"Well, the actor's British, I think," she defended as Mike ran his fingers up and down the nape of her neck one more time. "Mike, sorry, could you stop that, please?" she asked quietly.

"Sorry, Bella. You seemed to like it," he whispered back cheekily. "You shivered a moment ago."

That did it. Bella got up out of her seat and squeezed past Jacob who reached for her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. I just… just need some air," she said, snatching her hand out of his and rushing to the exit, glancing behind her just briefly enough to see Mike and Jacob exchange a confused look.

* * *

"_It's gotten complicated,"_ Bella thought as she paced in front of the stairwell. Why couldn't she just sit there and enjoy a dumb– very dumb– movie with her boyfriend and her best friend? What was so weird about that?

What the hell was Jacob doing to her? Whatever it was, Bella resolved it had to stop. She had been going out with Mike for ages. They were an item. That was that. She sat down on the stairs and sighed heavily, running her fingers through her hair and clutching at the roots for a moment in frustration at… at everything.

Suddenly, Bella saw a figure lurch out of the same theatre. It was Mike, rushing for the men's bathroom. Jacob languidly followed him out of the theatre but instead wandered over to Bella.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

Jacob shrugged. "Either the bit where the good guy blew a bad guy's foot off with a _carrot_ fired from a _gun_ was all his marshmallow-ey guts could take, or he's got the stomach flu," Jacob explained, taking a seat next to Bella.

"What about you? Are you alright? You seemed pretty desperate to get out of there." He placed his hand over Bella's, and she pulled away.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, Jake. I just…" She sighed. "You can't do that when I'm here with my boyfriend!"

Jacob's expression puckered into a frown. "What, touch your hand when I'm worried about you? Please." He scoffed. "I'm sure Mike isn't going to freak out about something so… so trivial."

"That's not the point," Bella retorted.

"Then what is the point?" he asked as Bella intertwined her fingers with his without thinking. Jacob looked down at her hands locked with his and flashed her a teasing smile. "Okay, so I take it now you're being a wicked tease?"

Bella pulled her hand away as though she had put it on hot coals, pushing them against her lap.

"Bella, I'm totally confused here." Jacob stared at her, but Bella couldn't bear to meet his eyes. He looked away, uncomfortable.

By the time Mike joined them, pasty and almost green-tinged, Bella and Jacob were sitting as far away from each other as possible on the small stairwell.

"I think… I think I'd better get back home," he said, before dry heaving. Jacob quickly held the empty popcorn box in front of him.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Mike replied, sounding anything but.

"Sure, sure. Keep hold of it," Jacob instructed. "I don't want you ruining my upholstery work."

* * *

By the time they reached Mike's house, he was barely able to walk.

"I'll get his mom," Bella said, climbing out of the car and rushing up the path to the house, ringing the doorbell.

"It's cool, Bella, I've got him," Jacob announced, as Mike's mother opened the door. "Oh, hello, Bella. Is everything okay? I wasn't expecting you all back until later?"

"Mike got sick," Bella explained as Jacob walked past her, carrying Mike in his arms.

"Never tell anyone," Mike had managed to wheeze out.

Jacob grinned. "Don't worry, buddy. I've just as much reputation to lose on this one as you do."

"Jake, are you sure you're going to be alright with Mike?" Bella asked as Mike's mother stood by looking frantic. "He's kind of heavy."

Jacob laughed. "Bella, how do you think my dad gets from the bed to his wheelchair and back again every day? I've had plenty of practice."

Bella was stunned. She hadn't really considered the practicalities of Billy being in a wheelchair, nor that Jacob was the only one around the house to help him. It seemed incongruous, for happy-go-luck Jacob to spend every day as a caregiver.

It also seemed rather endearing.

She followed Jacob up the stairs and leant against the door of Mike's room just as Jacob had put him down on the bed.

"Do you want anything, man?" he asked.

"I'm cool. Thanks."

"Don't sweat it." Jacob looked across at Bella and gave her a small smile.

"He's all yours, honey," he added before squeezing past her and making his way downstairs.

"Are you going to be okay?" Bella asked, sitting on the edge of Mike's bed. He waved her away.

"Go home, Bella," he instructed. "I don't want you catching it, too."

"It'll probably be too late for that," Bella admitted. Mike shrugged.

"Maybe not." He looked a little fed up.

Bella sighed uncomfortably. "Look, I know I've not been that… enthusiastic about that sort of thing recently. I don't know why, but it's not you." She finished the phrase in her head. "_It's me. It's Jake._"

Bella promptly pushed the thought as far out of her mind as she could possibly manage.

"It's cool, Bella." He managed a smile. "Maybe you've subconsciously been dreading my cooties."

"I'll see you soon," Bella said. "Perhaps I could come round and nurse you back to health? I make a mean chicken soup."

"What did I say about not wanting you to catch it?" Mike remonstrated, with an appreciative grin. "Just leave me to get rid of my germs, one way or another." He grimaced momentarily, before announcing, "It's cool. False alarm."

"Okay," she replied, pressing a chaste kiss to Mike's forehead. "Come round when you're feeling better, then."

"Will do, ma'am," he replied, saluting her as she left his room.

As she descended the stairs, she heard Jacob and Mike's mother talking.

"…I don't do a great deal. Just help him in and out of bed, onto the beach for ceremonies and stuff. I fixed up the bathroom with some of those special gadgets- Dad kind of hates me looking after him like that, tells me, '_Jake, I'm a cripple, not an invalid._' It's cool. He likes to do it himself where he can. I drive most of the time, but sometimes we get access to one of those cars where the brakes and accelerator are on a switch, like the indicators are…"

Bella crept into the living room to see Mike's mother hovering over Jacob with cookies.

"Oh, you poor dear," she said, patting him gently on the shoulder. Jacob looked up at Bella.

"Hey Bells, Miriam made cookies," he said happily, before taking a large gulp of something hot in a mug.

"They smell good," she acknowledged, "but we'd really better go. Let Mike sleep it off and-"

"There's no hurry, Bella," Mike's mother insisted. "Let Jake finish his hot chocolate. Would you like another cookie, Jake?"

"Sure. Thanks, Miriam," Jake said, helping himself to one of the cookies in the tin Mike's mother was brandishing.

"Jake!" Bella remonstrated.

"What?" he asked between mouthfuls of cookie. "These are amazing, Miriam."

"I'm glad you like them, Jake. Would you like to take some home with you?"

Before Bella could protest about abusing hospitality, Mike's mother was packing up a pile of cookies in a Tupperware box.

"I don't believe you," she grumbled. "You've been in this house for ten minutes, and Mrs. Newton's treating you like a second son."

Jacob shrugged. "Must be my natural charm. Anyway, why don't you call her Miriam?"

"Because it took me two months of dating Mike before I could nervously stammer out 'Mrs Newton', okay?" she hissed back.

"You should relax more. You're not like this around my dad."

"Well, I'm not dating you, am I?"

Mike's mother returned with the box of cookies and handed them to Jacob. "Here you go, dear. You take care on the roads out there."

"I'll make sure Bella gets home safely, Miriam," Jacob assured her.

Mike's mother squeezed his arm. "I'm sure you will, sweetheart," she said as Jacob ambled over to his car. Bella turned to go, but Mike's mother grabbed her arm.

"Poor boy. I take it there's no mother on the scene?" she asked, looking in Jacob's direction.

Bella shook her head. "Yeah, his mom was killed in a car crash when Jake was five," she explained. Mike's mother looked shocked, as though Bella had just punched her. She felt the grip around her arm tighten.

"He never mentioned… What a brave boy," Mrs Newton whispered, and for a moment, Bella swore she could see tears glisten in the woman's eyes.

"Yeah, I guess." Bella felt very uncomfortable.

"You take care of him, Bella," Mike's mother whispered conspiratorially. Bella nodded, said her goodbyes and left the Newtons' house to climb into the passenger seat of Jacob's Rabbit.

"Well, she loves you," Bella said as they drove away.

Jacob grinned. "I love her," he replied evenly. "She gave me cookies."

"Yeah, I noticed. I didn't get cookies; I hasten to add," Bella pointed out with a smile.

"You're welcome to have some of mine."

"No thanks. I really don't feel like eating right now."

They drove along in silence, save for the sound of the radio quietly playing some classic rock track that Bella didn't recognise.

"Sorry you missed half of that film," Bella said eventually.

Jacob shrugged. "It's cool. It's not like I paid for it." He sniggered. "Besides, _'I'm a British nanny, and I'm dangerous!'_ Please, that line was worth the admission price alone."

Bella started to laugh. "That was so ridiculous."

One more slightly uncomfortable moment of silence later, and Jacob was nervously drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. "Bells, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What's up?"

"Nothing. I just feel a little wiped out."

"I don't mean that." He looked right at her, despite being the one driving.

"Jake! Eyes on the road!"

"There's nothing on the road except us," he insisted, but turned his attention to the windshield anyway. "You've been acting weird, really weird, for weeks now. What is it? Have I done something?"

"It's not you," Bella said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Then what's going on? It's like, one minute you're cuddling up to me on the sofa when we're watching dumb movies, and the next minute you can't stand to be anywhere near me."

Bella's head started to spin. This was a conversation she didn't feel up to having.

"Jake, just drop it, okay? It's just me being weird."

"Bella, you're my best friend! Why won't you talk to me?"

Suddenly the whole car was starting to spin; Jacob's voice faded into the distance as Bella felt decidedly queasy.

"Stop the car, Jake!" Bella tried to scream, but it came out as more of a woozy gasp.

"Why?" Jacob asked, but he soon complied when Bella clapped her hands across her mouth and turned an odd shade of green. He slammed down on the brakes, and Bella got the car door open just in time to heave her guts out all over the road. Jake unbuckled her seatbelt and held her hair back while she retched on the side of the road, her throat on fire.

"I've got some water if you want it, honey," he whispered, stroking her hair as Bella finally sat up.

"Thanks," she managed to reply as Jacob unscrewed the top of a bottle of water and handed it to her. Gingerly she sipped at it while Jacob pulled out his school back pack, upending the contents onto the back seat. He handed the bag to Bella.

"Here," he said. "Better this than my car."

She smiled. "Nice to see you've got your priorities right."

Jacob stroked her hair from her face once again. "Oh come on, honey. You've got the stomach 'flu, you're not dying of bubonic plague." He kissed her on the forehead before buckling her back in and setting off, driving slowly back to her house.

There was nobody home when they returned, Bella noticed her father's police car wasn't in the driveway. Jacob parked outside and rushed out of the car to open her door.

"Come on, Bells," he whispered, unbuckling the seatbelt and putting his arm around her to steady her as she carefully stepped out of the car.

"I noticed Mike got carried to his house," Bella moaned.

"Mike got carried to his bed; you want me to do that?"

"Oh, yes," Bella sighed, leaning into his arms. She thought she saw Jake blush scarlet, but then a wave of nausea hit her and instead she focused all her energy on not throwing up everywhere.

"Keys," Jacob demanded. Bella fished into her purse and handed him a set of house keys. He put them between his teeth and lifted Bella into his arms, carrying her to the door and setting her down just long enough to unlock the door.

"I can probably make it if your arms are getting tired," Bella commented as Jacob carried her up the stairs.

"You're much lighter than Mike so don't sweat it," he replied, kicking her bedroom door open and setting her down on her bed. He stood at the edge of the bed, staring at her. She stared back. They spent a short while just looking at each other until Jacob laughed nervously.

"You kind of wanted to get changed, right?"

"Yeah, that was my plan," she replied as Jacob backed out of her room.

"I'll get you some… stuff," he finished lamely before rushing down the stairs.

By the time Bella had slipped out of her jeans and shirt and into a pair of warm pyjamas, Jacob was hovering at the door, his eyes covered as he knocked against the door frame.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," Bella replied as she snuggled down under her quilt, moving towards the wall to make room for Jacob to sit down. He did so and placed a glass of water on her bedside table.

"Water," he announced, before putting a bucket down on the floor. "Barf bucket," he explained, and then he placed something cold and damp on her forehead. "Cold wash cloth. I put a bunch in the refrigerator if you need them later. I wasn't sure painkillers were a good idea."

Bella felt her lips pull up into a smile. "Thanks, Jake. I'm okay now. You can go home if you want."

Jacob shrugged. "It's cool. I'll wait until your dad gets back."

"Sure," Bella replied, before sinking into a fitful sleep.

She recalled waking up briefly to hear her father whisper, "Jake? What are you doing?"

"Sorry, Charlie. I must've fallen asleep. Bella's got the stomach 'flu. I was waiting for you to get back…"

"Come on, Son. I'll take you home. Your dad'll be worried sick."

"He'll be fine. You should stay with Bella."

"Jake, she's got the stomach 'flu. She's not dying of pneumonia. She'll be fine for half an hour."

"I brought the Rabbit."

"I'll follow you. Police escort."

"Awesome."

* * *

Bella spent the next day in bed and felt completely recovered by the following day.

"That's good to hear," Charlie said when she got out of the shower. "Billy and I were hoping to fit in a spot of fishing. He can leave Jake in your capable hands, right, Bells?"

"Sure," Bella replied weakly, wishing she had an excuse to say no. She didn't want to deal with the questions Jake was bound to start asking, nor the issues she didn't really want to think about just yet. She'd been ill, after all.

The Blacks arrived by the time Bella had settled down to flick through the local newspaper, which was bereft of much in the way of news.

"You ready to roll?" Charlie asked Billy, a teasing grin on his face.

"That's offensive to someone in my condition. I ought to report you," Billy responded, his tongue clearly firmly in his cheek.

Charlie laughed. "See, Bells? This is what I'm going to have to put up with on that 'sensitivity' training course," he commented as Billy laughed.

Jacob hovered uncertainly in the doorway. Bella noticed Billy nudge him and give him a small smile, one which Jacob coloured up at and seemed to shrug off.

"I'll see you later, son," Billy said before wheeling himself down the porch.

"Yeah, later, Dad."

Jacob pulled his hand from behind his back and presented Bella with a bunch of slightly wilted flowers.

"I, erm, got them out of our garden. They were 'Get Well Soon' flowers, but I guess now they're 'Glad You Got Well Soon' flowers."

Bella shyly took them. "Thanks, Jake."

Flowers; this was crossing a line. Guy friends don't get girl friends flowers. Bella knew this to be an unwritten rule, one which also encompassed perfume and any clothing.

Jake flashed her a sly smile, and she realised he was intentionally crossing a line.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked, flopping ungainly onto the sofa and reclining into it.

Bella shrugged and perched herself on the arm of the sofa furthest away from him. "I don't know. I didn't have anything planned." She got up and walked to the kitchen.

"Bella?"

"I need to put these in water," she called, raising the bunch of flowers in her hand. She put the flowers down on the work surface and searched for a vase, of which there appeared to be a grand total of one shoved under the sink. Trembling, she filled it with water and felt increasingly stupid for her insane reaction.

Suddenly, warm hands flitting across her waist made her jump out of her skin.

"Need a hand?"

Bella dropped the vase, but Jacob managed to catch it.

"Jesus, Jake- don't do that!" she hissed.

He set the vase down and raised his hands. "Sorry, honey. Only trying to help."

"Well, don't!" she snapped, reaching for a pair of scissors and snipping the stems of the flowers.

Jacob laughed nervously. "Okay, okay, just, don't stab me!" he pleaded jokingly. Despite herself, Bella felt her face crack into a smile.

"If you behave, I won't have to," she replied evenly, placing the trimmed flowers into the vase. "There we are," she announced happily, walking back to the living room with the vase of flowers, Jacob trailing behind her as she set the vase on the window sill.

"You should really put them in your bedroom," Jacob commented airily. "That's what I had in mind when I picked them."

"Why were you were thinking of my bedroom when you picked me my bouquet?" Bella said with a smirk.

Jacob looked at her. "Why do you think?" He flashed a smile that made Bella's breath catch.

"We didn't decide what we were going to do today," she said suddenly, sitting down on the sofa.

Jacob joined her. "We could go into town, go for a walk in the woods- I've got some maps and a compass in the back of the car…"

Suddenly, the heavens opened. Rain lashed down and pelted loudly off the windows, only gaining in momentum as the seconds ticked by.

"Or, we could play Scrabble," Jacob finished.

Bella laughed. "I didn't have you down as the Scrabble-playing kind," she said.

Jacob shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a man of many talents."

"Boy," Bella iterated. "You're a boy."

"Funny, for the past three months I could've sworn I'd become a 'guy'," he pointed out. "Anyway, we don't have to play Scrabble, if you don't want. I've got some cards, we could play poker. And I'm sure your dad still has that Monopoly board…"

"What's this sudden obsession with playing games?" Bella asked.

Jacob looked at her intensely and raised an eyebrow. "I figured if I can't beat you, Bella, I might as well join you."

* * *

The sky had darkened and the rain was still pouring when Bella set the Scrabble board out on the living room floor. Between them, they had started to fill the board with random words, and now Jacob was seemingly stuck, frowning at his tiles.

"You can pass, if you want," Bella offered.

Jacob shook his head. "No, I'm not beaten yet." His eyes lit up suddenly, and he gathered four tiles which he laid from left to right, ending on the 'Y' of Bella's thirteen point scoring 'Yacht'.

"You can't have that, Jake," Bella said firmly, glaring at the board.

Jacob shrugged. "I can. It's in the dictionary." He started counting on his fingers. "That's a ten point word, and I landed on a Double Word Score, so that's twenty points to me."

Bella sighed. He had used the letters 'P', 'U', 'S' and 'S'.

"You are unbelievable."

"I want 'pussy', Bella. Scrabble lets me have 'pussy', it's in the rules."

"Fine. Idiot."

Bella did her best to ignore the boy sniggering to himself opposite her, tucking his long silky hair behind his ears and instead concentrated on her own tiles.

"You can have 'cock' if you want," Jacob pointed out.

Bella grabbed her tiles and hid them from view. "Jake! Stop cheating!"

"I was helping!" he insisted, before giggling hysterically.

"What?" Bella spat.

Jacob wiggled his eyebrows. "I was, um, just thinking. If you use the 'C' in 'scabbard' to make 'cock', you'll…" He sniggered again as he pointed at the red Triple Word Score space. "You'll triple its size…"

Bella grabbed the tiles. "Shut. Up. Child," she shouted, punctuating each word with a tile carefully aimed at Jacob who laughed as they bounced off various parts of his anatomy.

"Did you just throw your 'cock' at me?" he asked innocently, before cracking up with laughter once more.

Bella crossed her arms. "I'm not going to play with you if you keep being silly," she huffed, trying not to let her lips twist into a smirk.

"Right, new rules," Jacob demanded. "As of now, we're playing Blue Scrabble."

"Blue Scrabble?"

"Sure. You're only allowed to use naughty words."

"Naughty words that are in the dictionary?"

"Of course."

Bella shook her head. "You're such a child."

"And what's the point of being all grown up if you can't be childish at times?" Jacob countered, and Bella couldn't form a reasonable argument against this.

"Fine," she replied, gathering up her tiles and adding 'cock' to the board. "Your go," she announced, adding the twenty-seven points to her score.

Jacob frowned, shifted the tiles around in his holder. He looked a little nervous to Bella.

"So," he said finally, picking up two tiles. "You and Mike."

"Me and Mike what?" Bella asked carefully.

Jacob sighed. "You two had…" He laid down an 'S' and an 'X' around the 'E' of 'entropy'. "Yet?" he finished.

Bella felt herself colour up. "Jake!"

"What? I'm only asking."

"No!" she protested. Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Really!" she insisted.

"Why not?" he asked. "I mean, you've been going out for, what, nine months now?"

"That's not all that long," Bella protested. "We're taking it slow."

"So how far have you gone with him, then?"

Bella glared at him. "How far did you go with Kelly?" she countered, knowing it was long enough in the past that Jacob didn't mind her being brought up in conversation.

Jacob shrugged. "She let me touch her…" Jacob pointed to the word 'pussy' on the board. Bella felt her cheeks burn red once again. "Only once, through her jeans. We were behind the bike sheds, and it was all too brief- a teacher interrupted us."

Bella added the letters 'T', 'N', 'G', 'U' and 'E' to the 'O' in 'entropy'.

"How is 'tongue' a naughty word?" Jacob demanded.

"It depends how you use it," Bella replied with a wink. She was rewarded by seeing Jacob flush pink.

"I like it," he said approvingly, glancing across at his own tiles again. "So, come on. I spilled- tell me which of the Seven Wonders of Bella Mike's had a chance to visit?"

"The Seven Wonders of Bella?" she queried.

"Guess," Jacob instructed.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I can only think of three," she said. "One of them is already on the board…"

Jacob placed the tiles 'B', 'R', 'A', 'S', 'T', 'S' around the 'E' of Bella's new word 'tongue'.

"Two of them are already on the board," she corrected, looking at her tiles and adding 'A' and 'S' to the trailing 'S' of Jacob's last word. "Make that three," she finished.

"That could be five, depending on how you look at it," Jacob countered.

Bella sat back and folded her arms. "Go on, enlighten me," she said. Jacob didn't meet her eyes.

"Well, there's the Big Three we've already established, but I'd add to that the neck, the thigh and the earlobe-"

"Earlobe?"

Jacob shrugged, his cheeks burning more fiercely. "I've got a thing for them, okay?" He stared down at his tiles, and Bella gently reached out and brushed his hand with her own.

"That's six," she said quietly. "What's the seventh?"

Jacob looked up at her and slowly leant across the board, extending his hand and running his fingers through the roots of her hair, casually massaging her scalp.

"Hair?" Bella whispered, trying not to lean into his touch.

Jacob smiled, not breaking eye contact. "Mind," he said. "Maybe I'm just a freak, but I like to know what makes you chicks tick in there. And you never let us in." His expression was sombre. "So we never get our fill of you."

Bella stared at him, acutely uncomfortable with the way her nerves seemed to have suddenly started to tingle. "I'd better get started on dinner," she said, not moving an inch.

Jacob held his position. "Finally through with playing games, Bells?"

Bella came to her senses and pulled away, standing up and practically running towards the kitchen.

"Guess not," Jacob sighed, following.

* * *

"Can I help?" he asked as Bella set out a packet of ground beef, some stale bread, some onions, a couple of eggs and a packet of mixed herbs.

"I'm making meatballs," she said, peeling the onion. "You could be my mixer-upper."

Jacob shrugged. "Sure," he replied as Bella ordered him to the food processor to turn the bread into breadcrumbs while she chopped the onions. Once the breadcrumbs were done, Bella instructed Jacob in how to mix all the ingredients together with his hands and roll them out into little balls.

"I get it, you just didn't want to get your hands dirty," he said, mashing the mixture together in a bowl, meat squelching between his fingers as he did so.

"Something like that," Bella replied, twisting off a piece of the mixture and rolling it into a ball, putting in onto a baking tray. Jacob did the same.

"Truth or Dare," Jacob said suddenly while rolling out his third meatball.

"Jacob!"

"You're the one who wasn't through playing games," he reminded her.

She sighed heavily. "Fine. Whatever."

"You have to pick one."

"Truth."

"Do you want Mike?"

Bella felt herself physically stagger at this question. She was silent for a long time, but it was a silence Jacob didn't try to break. Eventually she answered. "I like him a lot."

"That isn't what I asked."

When Bella made no response, Jacob continued. "I mean, do you want him? When he kisses you, do your legs turn to Jello? Do fireworks explode in your head? Do you feel like every nerve is on fire, or whatever your cliché of choice is?" He paused briefly. "Have you been so restrained with him not because you don't want to, but because you have to _stop_ yourself going further with him?"

Bella fell silent. She knew the answer, deep down, but she didn't want to say the words. It had been nine months, and he'd been the perfect gentleman. Perhaps the feelings Jacob so eagerly described would come eventually?

"Jake, that's not fair!" she said hotly.

"It's perfectly fair," he reasoned.

"I… I don't know," she finished.

"You don't know? Bells, if that's your answer, you _do_ know."

"Truth or Dare," Bella demanded loudly.

"Dare," Jacob said instantly.

Bella grinned. "I could ask you to strip naked and run round the outside of my house seven times… Jake!" she squealed as he finished unbuttoning his shirt.

"You dared me."

"I didn't! Stop!" she begged.

Jacob took his hands away from his zipper. "Well, go on. Dare me," he goaded. Bella frowned, looked around the kitchen. Soon enough, she reached for a small bottle in a store cupboard and handed it to him.

"Drink a mouthful of this," she said, pointing at the label which read 'Tabasco Sauce'. Jacob took the bottle from her and downed half the contents.

"Jake!"

He nearly dropped the bottle when he gagged. "Jesus," he managed to wheeze as Bella hurriedly poured him a glass of water.

"I said a mouthful," she scolded, between her laughter.

Jacob grabbed the glass of water and downed it, pouring himself another and downing that. "You are evil, woman," he wheezed, laughing.

They rolled the meatballs in silence for a time while Jacob got his mouth back to working order. "Truth or Dare, Bells?" he asked, rinsing off his hands.

"I thought we'd finished this game."

"Nope."

"Fine. Truth," she replied, knowing there was a jar of wasabi in the fridge that she didn't want to have to eat with a spoon.

Jacob looked oddly uncomfortable. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair and turned to face Bella who found herself trapped between him and the kitchen work surface.

"Don't be mad, Bells, but I need to know… Do you like me? I mean _like_ me?"

Bella stared at him, aghast. "Jake! You are unbelievable."

"Come on, Bella," he snapped. "If you don't, fine. Just tell me, and then tell me why you've spent the past month or so acting like you do. If you do?" He shook his head. "Stop lying, to me and to yourself. Stop pretending there's nothing going on here."

"Jake-"

"If it helps, I'll put it out on the line for you. I'm crazy about you. Have been for ages." Jacob was turning a bright shade of red as he spoke.

"Jake, I'm with Mike."

Jacob fisted his hair in his hand and groaned in frustration. "Bella, that's not an answer! If I'd had the balls and asked you all those questions about Mike before today, I'd have said what I'm about to say ages ago- dump him, Bells. Dump him and get with me. You're just going out with him because you think you should and that's not fair on any of us, Mike included-"

Bella slapped him hard across the face. Jacob winced for a moment, then managed a smile. "Did that help?"

"No," she admitted, shame faced. "I'm sorry."

"Forget it," he mumbled. "I was pushing, but only because I need to know where I stand."

"Dare," Bella interrupted.

"Huh?"

"I've changed my mind."

"You can't just change your mind when you don't like the Truth you're asked," he retorted.

Bella stuck her jaw out defiantly. "Dare," she repeated. Jacob met her fierce gaze, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Fine. Kiss me," he said.

Bella laughed, mainly out of shock. "Excuse me?"

"You heard. Kiss me. That's your Dare."

Bella shook her head. "I don't… So, my choices are tell you whether I fancy you, or kiss you? That's… that's Hobson's choice!"

Jacob shrugged. "Call it what you want, those are your choices," he said simply, leaning onto the kitchen work surface and blocking any possible escape route with his muscular arms.

"Fine," Bella replied. "If that's how you want to play it." She gently tugged at his open shirt, gesturing for him to close the gap in their heights. He obliged carefully as though he expected her to play some sort of prank, but Bella had no such thoughts. She had realised if she kissed him, perhaps they could get all this out of their system and go back to how things were when they first met.

As she pressed her lips gently to his and felt him kiss back tenderly, all softness and wet heat, it still seemed like a sensible plan.

Then her senses kicked into overdrive, her stomach somersaulted messily and she knew she was going to have to make herself stop, that it had never felt like this with Mike and that, damn it, Jacob had been right all along.

She pulled away to see Jacob's eyes were closed, eyelashes fluttering as though in some kind of trance. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled a curiously vulnerable smile Bella didn't think she had seen before.

"See, that's interesting," he mused. "I didn't say where you had to kiss me." He took her hand in his. "You could have kissed me here." He planted a gentle kiss to the palm of her hand, then let it go and stroked her face, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Or you could have kissed me here." He pressed another chaste kiss to her cheek. "But instead, you-"

Bella didn't let him finish and twisted his shirt in her hands, pulling him down to her level and crashing her lips to his. He responded enthusiastically, sliding one hand to the small of her back and pulling her close as their kisses became more open, more desperate, tongues sliding against each other, trying not to bump teeth. The other hand cradled her head, fingers absently trailing along the nape of her neck as she was bent awkwardly into his stooping figure.

Soon, without breaking their kiss, Jacob put his hands under Bella's butt and lifted, sitting her on the work surface but accidentally banging her head against a cupboard door.

"Ouch!" she hissed.

He stroked the back of her head that had collided with the door. "Sorry, honey," he whispered. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Bella breathed, her hands slipping under his open shirt and soon tugging it off his shoulders.

He brought his lips to hers again while shrugging the shirt off completely and holding her tightly to him again, fingers snaking along the flash of skin at her back where her tank top didn't quite meet her jeans. She gasped as he trailed kisses away from her lips and along her jaw down to her neck, pausing only to graze her earlobe with his teeth which made her hiss with unexpected pleasure, wrapping her legs around him almost without thinking.

He moaned gruffly into her collarbone and lifted her clean off the work surface, holding her in place with a combination of his own upper body strength and Bella's wicked grip around his hips.

"Am I going too fast?" he panted. Bella shook her head vigorously in response. "Say it," he begged.

Bella cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "I want this," she whispered, kissing him again. "Don't stop."

His lips crushed hers again, and Bella was only dimly aware of Jacob sweeping the contents of the kitchen table onto the floor, the smashing of the mug which held loose change and the ash-tray that had only ever held keys. He laid her down flat, their hips pressed against each other and his hand supporting her head as it rested against the edge. He bent over her and kissed her neck repeatedly, almost biting her at one point.

"Jake," she whimpered, bunching his hair tightly in her hands as he smiled against her skin.

"Jesus, honey," he gasped, his breath hot against her, his hands roaming over her body, yet carefully skirting around the Big Three.

"Jake," Bella whispered as his lips trailed burning kisses against her throat. She was about to woozily grant him permission to access at least the first Six Wonders, her mind too foggy and, frankly, too horny to resist anything he was doing to her, but as she arched against him, her head slid off the table and she was able to see, upside down, the shell-shocked blonde figure standing in front of them.

"Mike?" She sat up suddenly, as Jake stopped what he was doing.

"Shit," he hissed.

Mike stared at them both wildly, as though he was trying to decipher a Magic Eye picture but still couldn't see the boat leap out at him from the psychedelic print.

"Wha… The door was open…" He trailed off, rubbed his eyes and stared at them again, as Bella and Jake clambered off the table and rearranged their clothing.

"Mike, it was totally my fault, man," Jacob started to explain but was stopped by Mike's fist colliding with his face.

"Mike!" Bella gasped in horror, as Jacob clutched his eye and winced.

"Bells, I macked on his girlfriend," he said evenly. "I totally deserved that."

"Yeah, you did," Mike spat, as Jacob grabbed his shirt and reached into the ice box of the fridge. He pulled out a packet of frozen peas and applied them to his swelling eye.

"I guess I'll wait outside?" he half stated, half asked of Bella. She nodded, and he left, offering Mike an apologetic smile which, unsurprisingly, he did not return.

"Mike-"

"What the hell was that?" he raged. "I heard you weren't feeling well. I came round, like you said I should, to see if you were better." He laughed mirthlessly. "Well, you certainly seemed chipper."

"I'm sorry," Bella said lamely.

Mike exhaled in frustration, ran a hand through his hair. "So. I guess I have to ask how long this has been going on, huh?"

Bella glanced at her watch. "About five minutes?"

"Right. Bella, I don't know what part of this you don't exactly grasp, but this is not the time for jokes."

"No, really."

"Bullshit," Mike snorted. "It's all so obvious now, isn't it? I must have been blind. The way you two look at each other. Go on, are we talking weeks? Months?"

"I'm telling the truth," Bella insisted. "Nothing had been going on, I swear! Not until just-"

"Christ, Bella." He smirked bitterly. "Nine months and two weeks we're dating, and you freak out when I try to put my hand under your bra. Five minutes alone with _'Dances-With-Wolves'_ out there and you're practically screwing him!"

"That's just plain racist," Bella seethed. Mike glared at her.

"Right now, Bella, I couldn't care less!" he snapped.

With a heavy sigh, Bella cradled her head in her hand. "I think… I think you should go, Mike," she said quietly.

Mike laughed coldly. "No," he replied. "No. You don't get to do this, Bella. You don't get to just… mess me about, and then act like I'm the problem!"

"I didn't say that."

Mike dragged his hand over his face, his expression beyond fury, a wounded animal trapped in a cage. "We've been going out for nearly a year!" he raged. "I did everything I could for you, and you just threw it back at me!"

Bella stared at the kitchen floor, her arms wrapped around herself defensively.

"Did you… did you even feel the same way about me as I did about you?" Mike asked quietly. Accusingly. Bella felt her mouth open, but she couldn't make the words come out. Her lack of response caused Mike to shrug and glance up to the heavens.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Right. I get it. What was I, a stop gap? Something to pass the time?"

"No!" Bella protested. "I didn't… I thought… I thought I would feel that way, in time," she finished quietly.

Mike stared at her, incredulous. "You… seriously? How dense can you get, Bella?" he demanded vindictively.

"I'm sorry, Mike," Bella spat back. "I haven't had the apparent scores of partners you have, I didn't have my checklist honed as you so clearly did. You were my first real boyfriend! I didn't know what I should feel!"

"Great. I managed to hook up with a girl who's both frigid and a slut!" Mike roared.

Bella felt herself turn red with humiliation, a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Don't you dare cry," Mike snarled.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that! Get out!" Bella screamed. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Don't make this about how you've been so put upon, you manipulative little bitch! I… I loved you, and you've just strung me along for months!"

"Come on, man." Jacob's voice was calm but strong. Bella had scarcely registered he had returned from outside. "You've made your point. I think you should leave now." He put a hand gently on Mike's shoulder, but Mike shrugged him off.

"You're so naïve. You really think she's going to be your girlfriend now?"

Jacob shrugged. "I'd like her to be, but whatever, she's my friend. I'm not going to sit outside and listen to you talk to my friend like that," he replied. "So, either leave quietly, or…" He let the statement hang in the air, his expression almost apologetic.

Mike sighed angrily. "Fine. I hope you two are very happy together," he spat before storming out of the house and slamming the door.

"I don't think he really meant that, do you?" Jacob joked weakly. Bella promptly burst into hysterical sobs. Jacob sighed and wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed helplessly into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she managed to choke out.

Jacob kissed the top of her head. "You're apologising for crying? Really, Bells, I thought you held it together pretty well back there. I'd have punched him if it were me."

"It was all my fault though," she replied. "I did string him along. You were right. I wasn't being fair to either of you."

"I think I said all of us," Jacob corrected. "That included you, honey. You made a mistake, but it doesn't make you a 'manipulative little bitch'. He's hurt, he's lashing out."

They held each other for a while, as Bella's tears slowly ceased, but she stayed buried in the soft warmth of Jacob's arms.

"Bells," Jacob said carefully, stroking her hair. "I meant what I said, by the way. I'm crazy about you, and if we started going out properly, like, as an item, I'd be really happy. It'd make my little heart sing, or whatever it's supposed to do. And I'll wait, too, if you need some time and space to process all of this. Take as much time as you need. But if you just want to be friends, it's cool. Just tell me quickly, because I can't bear the suspense."

Bella looked up at his nervous expression, his eyes cast to the floor. She smiled and tenderly placed a kiss just below the hollow of his neck.

"No one's ever made me feel like you do," she said, touching his chin with her hands and coaxing him to meet her gaze. "I'd like to find out what that means, with you. And I'm impatient," she added.

Jacob grinned and squeezed her tightly before pressing his forehead against hers. "You've got yourself a deal, honey," he whispered in response.

* * *

As Charlie drove back to his home, Billy in the passenger seat, his police radio went off.

"Sorry, Billy," he said, gruffly answering it. "Chief Swan… Oh, okay… Well, he's here right now, actually, if you want to patch them through."

He handed the receiver to Billy. "It's for you. Didn't say who it was," he replied, his expression as bewildered as Billy's, who took the receiver.

"Hello…? Speaking… Okay… Really…? Well, I'm not surprised he got punched if that's what he was doing… I'm sure he'll be fine, but thank you for letting me know… Yeah, bye." He clicked the receiver into its rightful place on the dashboard.

Charlie glanced across at him. "What was that about?"

"Jake," Billy replied nonchalantly. "Apparently he got punched by another guy who caught him kissing his girlfriend; that was his mom." He sniggered. "Jake's turning into a cheeky little sod."

Charlie joined in the laughter. "Who's the little trollop playing with those poor boys' hearts, then?"

"Your daughter," Billy replied in that same nonchalant tone, raising an eyebrow.

Charlie nearly slammed down the brakes in surprise. "Bells?"

"You've only got the one daughter, right?"

Charlie frowned. "Looks like I owe you five bucks, then?"

Billy raised his palms in surrender. "In fairness, I did have insider information."

"Huh?"

"Jake was talking to me yesterday. Wanted advice."

"From his old man? I thought sixteen year old boys knew it all?"

Billy shrugged. "He wanted to know what it meant when a girl - he didn't specify which girl, so I knew it was Bella - sometimes liked to hold hands and cuddle with you, then sometimes '_freaked out about it_', I think were his words, then kept reminding you she had a boyfriend even though you weren't doing anything and got really embarrassed when you watched anything with sex scenes together… I didn't ask," Billy added upon seeing Charlie's perturbed expression.

"What did you say?"

"That she probably liked him more than she cared to admit. Seemed reasonable, given what the twins were like growing up."

Charlie laughed as they pulled up into his driveway. Billy watched him warily. "You're laughing out of fear, aren't you?"

"Completely," Charlie replied, cutting the engine. He helped Billy into his wheelchair and the two snuck into the house.

Dinner was keeping warm in the oven. The table was set with two plates and two sets of cutlery, but a small amount of washing up had already been done.

"What the hell happened?" Charlie muttered to himself, picking through the bits of porcelain left in a neat pile on the kitchen work surface, next to a rumpled notepad and a few sets of keys. Billy put his finger to his lips and jerked his head towards the living room. The TV was on, but some documentary about the dyeing industry was playing, and clearly the occupants of the living room were paying no attention to it whatsoever.

"I love your hair," Bella's voice crooned.

"Really?"

"Yeah. The moment I saw you again I thought your hair was really nice."

"I love your eyes, Bells. You have such beautiful eyes."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's like I could drown in them, they're so deep."

Billy started miming the act of sticking his fingers down his throat. "Where did he pick that up?" he whispered to a sniggering Charlie. "I'm going to have to ban him from going anywhere near his sisters' stuff in the basement…"

"Hey, do you want some more ice-cream?"

"Go on." A pause. "What brought that on?"

"I was just thinking about your lips."

A giggle. "My lips eating ice-cream?"

"Sure. I love watching you eat…"

"Oh, Jesus," Charlie whispered. "How long are they going to be so sickeningly saccharine for, Billy? I'm already getting a toothache."

Billy shrugged. "Could be hours, could be months," he replied. "With the twins, it very much depended on the boy and their mood…"

"I love your skin," Bella's voice sighed.

A chuckle. "My skin?"

"Yeah. It's so smooth."

"Aww, that tickles!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. I love that you're ticklish."

"Mmm? I love that you love I'm ticklish…"

Charlie bit down on his knuckle, trying to suppress his sniggers. Billy stared in impressed disbelief. "When did he get so cocky with the ladies?" he whispered.

"I'm going to have to keep an eye on that boy," Charlie mocked.

Billy shook his head. "It's your girl. She's a bad influence."

"Hey, she was never like this before Jake started showing up. Renee would have told me."

"Well, Jake never…"

They were distracted by Jacob's mild cursing. "I can't find the spoon."

"It doesn't matter." Bella's voice was a little husky. "Your fingers are clean, right?"

Charlie and Billy looked at each other. "Kids! We're home!" they called simultaneously.


	7. Chapter Six: Intimacy

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella finds out there are consequences for her actions, and dating Jacob is an entirely different ball game.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, Confettirainfall and thejmeyer

* * *

**Chapter Six: Intimacy**

Bella felt confident she had made the right decision in choosing to date Jacob. Butterflies tickled her stomach delightfully whenever she thought about it, which was just as well.

It helped her get through the nightmare that school had become.

Mike's anger had, if anything, only intensified by the following day, and he had told everyone he could about what had happened with Bella the evening before, though neither occurrence had come as a surprise to Bella. What had surprised her was how their whole social group had taken her misdemeanour as a personal insult, and Bella found herself utterly ousted. Only Angela continued to hang out with her.

"Aren't they going to be mad at you?" Bella asked when Angela sat with her at lunch.

Angela shrugged. "They'll get over it," she replied. "They're being ridiculous anyway. People split up; it happens."

"Yeah, but if Mike told them what actually happened…" She sighed, pushing her pizza around her plate. "They think I'm some kind of evil, slutty bitch, don't they?"

"Like I said, they're being ridiculous."

Bella groaned. Angela patted her hand gently. "It'll blow over eventually. Just like the Jessica and Lauren thing did when you and Mike started dating."

"Go on," Bella sighed, bracing herself. "Say it."

"Say what?"

"I told you so?"

Angela smiled. "Not that I don't appreciate you accepting my advice was wonderful if only you'd followed it, but I'm not gloating in your pain right now, okay?"

Bella nodded. "Okay," she replied before chewing on her pizza.

Angela leant in towards her. "So?"

"So what?"

"What was it like?" She looked eager for information. "Come on, Bella. We all know Mike caught you and Jacob together. I don't know how much of what he was fuming about was true, but if even half of it was-"

"It was amazing," Bella proclaimed suddenly, unable to contain her feelings.

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Really. He just… I don't know."

"Reaches the parts other guys don't reach?"

"Angela!" Bella was a little shocked by wholesome Angela's rather unwholesome suggestion. Then she felt herself start to smile, as though all those joyous secret moments from Sunday were trying to seep out. "He actually did the whole sweeping aside all the stuff on the kitchen table and putting me on the thing. I thought that only happened in movies."

"Well I guess if you're going to make out with a younger man, he's going to be eager and enthusiastic. Got to make up for that lack of experience somehow, right?" Angela said with the cheekiest grin Bella thought she had ever seen on the girl.

"The thing is, I'm not sure how far we would have gone if Mike hadn't shown up," Bella heard herself confessing before she could stop herself. "It was crazy. I didn't want him to stop, you know? I wanted…" She trailed off, her cheeks flushed pink.

"It's not a crime to want to have sex, you know," Angela pointed out kindly.

"Yeah, but with a guy I've not even been out on a date with?" Bella felt guilty enough about this revelation when she wasn't in a position to do anything about it, and knowing it wasn't something she had desired purely because it was impossible made her feel worse.

"You two have known each other since you were kids, right? And you've been hanging out together for over a year. He's hardly a stranger," Angela replied, digging her fork into her baked potato and chilli.

"Well, no, but I don't think I should be rushing into anything, either," Bella argued, surprised that the Lutheran Minister's daughter was the one who appeared to be advocating her blossoming longings.

"Just go with your feelings," Angela advised. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to; you know he's very patient."

"I do?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Please. You've been giving him signals for months, and he didn't press you over it until yesterday. Are you going on a date or anything yet?"

"I believe so," Bella replied. "I said I'd call him tonight."

"Do you know if he's the romantic type?" Angela asked before finishing off her baked potato.

Bella sipped at her soda, smiling. "I guess I'll find out."

* * *

Their first proper date had been that Saturday at First Beach. Jacob had suggested a picnic.

"I'll be honest, Bells, I don't know how I can impress you," he said over the phone. "You know me too well."

"Exactly," Bella pointed out. "We're past that, right?"

"Yeah, but things are different now. You're my girlfriend." There was a sudden awkward pause. "You are my girlfriend, right? That's not going too fast?"

"That's just fast enough, Jake," she said, twisting the telephone cord around her fingers and biting back the smile she felt tugging at her lips. "Anyway, that doesn't stop us from being friends, does it?"

"Sure, sure. We're best buddies," Jacob replied airily. "I like that." There was another pause. "I really like you, Bells. So I don't want to mess it up."

"I have faith in you, Jake," Bella replied. "Shall I bring anything?"

"Just yourself and a raincoat. Just in case."

* * *

She had been right to put her faith in Jacob but not to put it in the weather which, although dry, was chillier than she had expected.

"Here." Jacob slung his jacket over her shoulders and drew her into a hug as they sat on the cliff top on a blanket, trying to stop the paper plates from blowing away.

"We could just forget about the plates," Bella suggested as she poured some soda into a plastic cup and handed it to Jacob.

"Good idea," he replied, stuffing them back into the picnic basket. "I should have brought some hot chocolate or something," he commented, squeezing Bella's hand as she trembled a little.

She smiled. "I can think of better ways you could warm me up," she suggested shyly.

Jacob grinned like the Cheshire Cat and put the cup he was holding down on the ground. "Now you're talking, honey," he murmured, pulling her even closer to him and pressing his lips to hers.

"Finally!" a familiar voice called.

Bella broke their kiss and looked over Jacob's shoulder to find Embry and Quil hovering over them.

"Get a room, guys," Embry drawled.

Jacob glared at him. "You want to wear my soda, boy?" he enquired.

"Calm down, we're just passing through," Quil said with a smile.

"No need to get all territorial," Embry added, grinning at Bella. "He'll let up soon enough. He's so psyched to have you to himself."

Jacob glanced across at Bella and blushed crimson, and the whole notion made Bella feel strangely warm inside.

"Sounds good," she whispered in his ear. He kissed her fiercely, apparently not caring his two best guy friends were watching.

"Before we leave you two love birds to it, Paul and Jared are cliff diving," Quil said knowingly. Jacob nodded.

"What does that mean?" Bella asked. "Besides the obvious. You guys are making it sound like some kind of conspiracy."

Jacob sighed. "It just means we might get hassled if they see us together," he replied. "I mean, I don't care. They can take a running jump, literally."

"You'll definitely catch flack on Monday," Embry added. "Once one of those guys spots you, the whole school will know."

"I can take it," Jacob replied airily. "Bells is worth it."

"Worth what?" Bella asked as Jacob tenderly stroked the nape of her neck.

He sighed. "It's kind of… They're just going to tease me. I'm sure it won't get nasty or anything."

"Why, because you've got a girlfriend?" Bella couldn't understand what Jacob was driving at. Jacob hadn't taken any flack for going out with Kelly, had he? Perhaps he just hadn't told her about it.

"I… They… Sorry, Bells. I just don't know how to put it…" Jacob looked very uneasy.

"They're going to give him grief for dating a white chick, okay?" Quil said. "It's harsh, but that's how it is."

"I bet you five bucks you get _'A Whiter Shade of Pale'_ sung to you at least three times at school," Embry announced.

Bella was shocked. "What, seriously?"

Jacob nodded. "Most people don't care, Bells. Some do." He shrugged. "Like I said, I don't care. You're worth it, like, ten times over. At least."

"Anyway, we've got your back, Bella," Embry said. "We like you, paleface or no."

"And we like Jacob better when he's not moping over you," Quil added with a wink. "Everyone's a winner." He patted a red-faced Jacob on the back. "Later, bro."

"Yeah, later," Jacob said darkly in a tone that suggested some sort of punishment would be involved. Embry merely waved before they both disappeared off to the shore.

"Sorry, Bells," Jacob said eventually. "I knew I had to tell you, I just didn't know how to."

"I don't care what they think either," Bella affirmed. "Anyway, I'm more intrigued by the moping Quil mentioned," she pointed out.

Jacob smiled and tucked his finger under her chin, tilting her face towards him. "I said I'd been crazy about you for ages, right?"

"Yeah," Bella replied, feeling herself blush from his penetrating gaze alone.

Jacob placed a tender kiss on her lips. "Well, Quil and Embry kind of suffered my craziness a bit. What can I say? I'm a love struck schoolboy, and you're just going to have to deal with my unabashed affections now I know you actually want them."

"Schoolboy? You make me sound like some kind of pervert," Bella moaned as Jacob pressed a few more kisses along her cheek and around her ear.

"Bella Swan, you are the worst kind," he affirmed. "The moment you turned up in Forks for good, you have been corrupting my innocence…" He snaked an arm around Bella's shoulder and nudged her to lean back. "And making me want to do very bad things to you," he finished once she was lying on the blanket against his arm. He lay down with her, trailing his free hand casually along her neck, stomach, face and hair, randomly tracing patterns against her skin.

Bella raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? What kind of bad?" she asked as she felt Jacob press his face close to hers.

"Wicked," he whispered into her ear. Bella squirmed with pleasure as she suddenly felt his tongue tickle her earlobe, trail up and around, tracing the nooks and crannies. She giggled and felt him grin in response, his fingers walking along her belly. He stroked her hair with the other hand, as best he could with her head resting against his arm.

"You know," he said between kisses, "I did bring a picnic. Maybe we should-" He kissed her again, before finishing, "Maybe we should eat some of it?"

"Sounds good," Bella replied, tugging at his shirt and kissing him again. "Probably should." She kissed him again, more languidly this time. "Later."

Eventually they got around to consuming the contents of Jacob's lovingly prepared basket, feeding each other and looking out to sea, wrapped up in each other.

"Look at the waves," Bella said, her head on Jacob's shoulder. "They're so tempestuous… Wait, I can see boats out there!"

"It's not so bad," Jacob commented. "I've been out on the fishing boats in worse weather than this."

"Do you like it?"

"It's okay, but I prefer to fix up the boats or the nets than do the fishing."

"Is that what you want to do? I mean…"

"What, when I'm grown up?" He raised an eyebrow at Bella and grinned.

"Yeah."

"I don't know. I mean, I like fixing and building cars, but I like all the craft stuff too. Not many of us are learning it, and I think more of us should, you know?" He leant back, propping himself up on his arms. "When I'm chief, I think I'd like to do something about that. Maybe get some Art Outreach programme going, 'cause there are plenty of places in Port Angeles that would be interested, let alone any of the bigger cities—"

This took Bella by surprise. "Wait, did you say chief?"

Jacob nodded. "Sure. My dad's chief, Bells, didn't you know that?"

"Well, Dad mentioned it, like, once." Bella struggled to remember. It had been so long ago, and such a passing comment, it had never really registered.

"So, I'm the eldest son. I take over; it's how it works. I mean, it's pretty much just an honorary title. All the elders are practically equal, except they seem to listen to Dad more, because of the bloodlines, I think. Anyway, I've had to think about it a lot now that I'm older, and I have ideas about what I'd do…" He looked at Bella suddenly and appeared a little sheepish.

"You okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's just… You're my girl and everything, but I shouldn't really be talking to you about this – I want to, but..."

Bella squeezed his hand in hers. "I'll keep all your secrets; I promise you," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

"I know, Bells. Anyway, what about you? You're graduating this year, right? What are your great plans?" he asked brightly.

"College, I guess. I've applied to a few places to study English, then I think I'll go into teaching."

Jacob laughed nervously. "Cool. I'd sort of forgotten you'd go to college- it's not that common on the rez."

Bella looked at him. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course not!" Jacob insisted. "It's just… well, I'll miss you."

"Hey, you can come and visit every weekend. I wasn't planning on going anywhere that far away," Bella pointed out. "Besides, you can join me the year after. We can be college sweethearts."

"Sounds tempting. I hadn't really thought about college, you know." Jacob's half-hearted tone of voice didn't match his words.

"If you want to set up that outreach programme, I bet a business course wouldn't hurt, right?"

Jacob leant his head against Bella's. "Cute and smart. I lucked out when I met you, huh?"

"You sure did."

"I'd better check out the community college."

"Why not college? Like out of town college?"

Jacob laughed, and Bella couldn't understand why.

"I'm not thinking Ivy League," she explained. "I mean, they cost a bomb."

"Bells, honey," he said kindly. "My old man hasn't exactly been able to stash away a college fund for me, and the money I make from hocking crafts and fixing cars…" He paused, as though considering whether he should share.

Bella held his hand in hers and traced the lines in the palm of his hand with her fingertips.

"I don't just spend it on me. You know?" He stared out to the sea, and Bella didn't know what to say. Instead, she rested her head against his shoulders, kept her hand on his.

"That's-"

"Lame?" Jacob's short, sharp laugh was harsh.

"No. It's sort of… sort of amazing," she replied.

He shrugged. "There's no point saving for college if you're going to die from the cold when the heating breaks down, right? Or from hunger?"

Bella laughed, then noticed with alarm Jacob wasn't joining in. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Jacob nodded, not quite looking at her. "I thought you knew. That maybe your dad mentioned it."

"He didn't." Bella had an inkling that Jacob and Billy weren't that well off but not to that extent. She felt instantly guilty, and squeezed his hand.

He managed a small smile. "You don't need to feel sorry for me, Bella."

"I don't," she replied. "I feel… I feel angry for you. It's wrong, and unfair and… and…"

"We get by, Bells," he replied. "We're sheltered and warm, we get fed every day, we're not in any debt, and we can have a little fun. Between us, we're doing good."

Suddenly, Jacob sat up. "I can't believe I forgot!" He started rummaging through the hamper, before retrieving a small container of strawberries and a pot on some sort of stand.

Bella was mindful of his apparent need to change the topic of conversation.

"Chocolate and strawberries," he announced proudly. "I got this thing at the grocers; you're supposed to light a tea-light under it, and it melts the chocolate."

Bella watched as he pulled out a tea-light candle and a lighter, placing the tea-light under the stand and flicking the lighter next to the wick. The strong wind blew it out every time.

"Damn it," he hissed. "I should have bought a bunch of heat packs."

"What if I make a barrier?" Bella suggested, cupping her hands around the candle.

Jacob grinned. "Yeah, that might… Damn it!" he said as the candle blew out once more. "I'll use my free hand as well."

The two of them crouched over the tripod, giggling as they tried to keep the flame alight. Eventually, it caught, and they cheered.

"Now we've just got to stay like this until the chocolate melts," Jacob commented, tossing the lighter and groping in the hamper until he found a spoon.

"I hope it's fast melting, I'm cramping up here," Bella complained.

"It'll be worth it when I'm feeding you chocolatey strawberries like some kind of Roman slave."

"That sounds good."

"I'll even massage all your cramped muscles," Jacob offered.

"That sounds even better."

Jacob smirked at Bella's coquettish expression. "I think you're enjoying the idea of me being your slave a bit too much."

"What do you expect, when you make it sound so tempting?" she retorted smoothly, a satisfied smile on her lips.

Suddenly, heavy footsteps interrupted them.

"What the hell do you think you two are doing!" a harsh, deep voice demanded, one which Bella didn't recognise. In shock, she toppled from her crouched position and fell onto her knees. Looking up from her new position, she saw a tall, broad shouldered, imposing young man whom she guessed was somewhere between eighteen and twenty-two. He looked more worried than he did angry.

Jacob sat up, his hand still covering the tea-light and looked the man in the eye.

"We're melting chocolate, Sam," he pointed out defensively. "Deanna was hocking them off cheap, apparently they didn't sell well." He frowned at the flickering tea-light. "And if she sold them for outdoor use, I can see why."

Sam ran a hand through his longish hair and sighed. "Sorry, Jake. We've had a bit of a problem with the Makah meth-heads. I guess I'm just being paranoid."

Jacob surveyed him coolly. "And you really think I'd be dumb enough to mess around with the toxic shit those guys keep trying to pedal?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or as easily led?"

Sam shook his head. "Okay, okay, you're an obnoxious pig-headed rebel who doesn't play by the rules but gets the job done. Happy?"

"Very," Jacob replied with mock solemnity.

Sam laughed. "And I didn't mean to scare your friend here."

"This is Bella. Bella, this is Sam," Jacob offered as an introduction.

"Hi," Bella said. "I'd shake your hand, but I don't want this to go out," she added awkwardly.

Sam raised his palms. "No problem. Hey, are you Bella as in Bella Swan? Charlie's kid?"

Bella nodded. "One and the same."

Sam stared at Jacob expectantly, causing him to blush.

"We're on a date," Bella pointed out.

"But everyone keeps trying to join in," Jacob complained as Bella nudged him.

"Oh, we've only been interrupted twice."

"Quil and Embry count ten times for every one interruption, because you know the kind of interrogation they're going to give me."

Bella shrugged and grinned. "Just tell them I wouldn't even go to first base. They think I'm prissy anyway."

Jacob pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Oh, they were just hoping on the Strip Poker thing. They didn't expect you to go along with it."

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to it," Sam said, clearly struggling to repress a smile. "Just keep an eye on him, Bella. Make sure he doesn't misbehave," he added with a wink.

"Sure, sure," she replied, mentally raising her estimate of his age up to between twenty-two and twenty-six.

"Congratulations, by the way," Jacob called.

Sam turned around and grinned. "You heard? Not that anything stays secret here for long."

"Rachel phoned me, said Leah's already looking at wedding dresses. When am I getting an invite?" Jacob looked at Sam expectantly.

"When she finishes college," Sam confirmed before walking away.

Jacob sniggered to himself. "Leah's been waiting for him to marry her since she was about fifteen," he explained.

"Who's Leah?" Bella asked.

"The Clearwaters' daughter. You know Harry, right? The other third of the 'Three Amigos'?"

"Meaning alongside your dad and mine?"

"It's about so much more than fishing." Jacob's expression was so ridiculously earnest that Bella cracked up with laughter.

He flashed a quick lop-sided smile at her. "Yeah, she's a bit older than you. She went off to college this year, Washington, to study Biochemistry, I think. Something like that, anyway."

"So Sam's quite a bit older then?"

"No, he's nineteen, too."

Bella felt her jaw slacken in amazement. "Really? He seems, I don't know-"

"Middle aged?" Jacob suggested before laughing a little. "Yeah, he's kind of had to grow up fast, you know? His dad ran out on them. He's looked after his mom, and now he's getting involved in the tribe stuff as well as doing his scholarship. He'll be drawing a pension next year if he carries on."

Bella watched him for a moment. "That's not a million miles away from your situation. And yet you remain forever young," she mused.

Jacob shrugged. "Or, forever immature," he suggested, playing with her hair.

Suddenly, he whooped. "It's melting!" he announced happily, jabbing his finger into the fondue pot and hissing.

"Yep, that's definitely hot," he said, chocolate dripping from his finger just as Bella took his hand and sucked it clean while staring at him all the while. She couldn't help but feel somewhat powerful as he swallowed thickly.

"And yet, that was way hotter," he confessed, not taking his eyes from hers.

A loud chorus of bad singing suddenly assaulted Bella's ears. She turned her head to see four boys standing on the cliff top a reasonable distance from her and Jacob, their hands to their chests as though they were singing their hearts out.

"_We've got to stand tall, Can't stumble or crawl, We've got to be strong, For love that's so right, Can't be wrong, And every day I see it grow, And I don't want to let it go, I guess that's why I gotta know… Does your mama know about me?"_ they sang, between sniggers.

Bella felt herself grow red with embarrassment. Jacob whirled around and faced the offending boys, who all looked around his age.

"That song's ancient! What are you, seventy? If you're not gone in ten seconds, I will kick your sorry asses all the way back to your mommy's womb!" he fumed. The small group of boys cat-called and then walked away.

Jacob sighed but held Bella's hand in his. "School's going to be fun," he said with a smile. "I'll let you know if they come up with anything good."

* * *

By their next date – a trip to Port Angeles to see a movie and have dinner at a local pizza parlour – Jacob was able to share more details of his hassles at school. Bella thought this made a change from him having to listen to her sad tales of ostracism, which showed no sign of abating after a week.

"Well," Jacob said, holding Bella's hands over the table while they waited to be served. "I've had half my class greet me with a new song every morning for the past week. Paul's been encouraging them; he was one of the goons who serenaded us. Embry was right about _'Whiter Shade of Pale'_, but it's been quite a cultural mix. There's also been _'Society's Child'_, _'Viva la White Girl'_ I think it was called, _'Ebony and Ivory'_, which doesn't exactly fit and _'Honky Tonk Woman'_ which convinced me they don't even know what 'Honky Tonk' means."

Despite this, the weeks passed by in a happy flurry of movies, picnics, take-out, dinner dates, art galleries – Bella had been surprised to find Jacob's interest in art wasn't restricted to tribal crafts – hiking, days at the beach, snuggling and heavy petting. The latter activity had certainly proven a surprise for Bella.

Where Mike had been eager, but restrained, when it came to taking things further, Jacob was like a juggernaut of lust, relentlessly powering his way through as much of Bella's restraint as he felt he could get away with. _"Stop me if I'm going too fast,"_ had pretty much become his catchphrase whenever they were alone.

"Jake?" Bella purred, trying to get his attention one evening when they were alone in her room. Her fingers stroked his long hair, and his body was pressed against hers as they took a respite from their endless exploratory kisses.

"Hmm?" he offered as a response, his hand trailing casually over her breasts down to the exposed skin between the hem of her t-shirt and the waistband of her jeans then back again.

"When we're alone together, like this."

"Hmm?" His fingers were straying tentatively under the hem of her t-shirt.

"Why are…" She gently slapped Jacob's wandering fingers, and he withdrew immediately from his ascent up her t-shirt. "Why are you always so horny?"

Jacob sat up a little, obviously taken aback. "Sorry, Bells," he said anxiously. "I thought you were okay with… I thought you were stopping me when you didn't want to go further?"

Bella took one look at his worried expression and wanted to hug him. "I'm not complaining," she insisted. "I was just curious. I mean, Mike wasn't so…"

"Pushy?"

"I was trying to think of a nicer word."

Jacob rolled over so his back was to the wall, and he was facing Bella. He pulled her into a hug. "I don't mean to be, Bells. Really. I like hanging out with you. I like going out on dates, watching TV and just talking, you know? But…" He deliberately looked her up and down and smiled shyly.

"Go on," Bella said, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger.

"Bella, I'm sixteen," he said. "Looking at furniture catalogues makes me horny. What do you think looking at _you_ does to me?"

Bella felt herself blush. Jacob placed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "Come on, Bells," he said. "I think you're hot! And beautiful and smart and funny, and-"

"You're trying to get into my panties?" she finished cheekily.

Jacob made a face at her. "We're having a moment, Bells, don't spoil it with cynicism," he said with a feigned sigh.

Bella slipped her arms loosely around his neck and kissed him. "You know I appreciate all your compliments." She nudged him to lie on his back, and then she slid on top of him before sitting up, cradling his thighs between hers.

Jacob sat up a little. "Okay, is this like some kind of reward?" he asked, his hands on Bella's buttocks before he had finished his sentence.

"Lie back," she demanded, taking his hands and pressing them onto the bed.

"Yes, Ma'am." He propped himself on his elbows, gazing at her with eagerness mixed with mild trepidation. Emboldened by his reaction, Bella teasingly pulled her t-shirt up, exposing her midriff and toying with the hemline for a short while before whipping the whole thing over her head. It got stuck under her nose for a moment, and she had to wriggle it carefully away, but despite this, Jacob was still gawping as though he were watching the moon landing for the first time. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen her in this state of undress before, but Bella knew this was the first time it had been done on purpose.

"Hello," he breathed after making a low pitched whistle.

Bella threw her t-shirt at him. "Behave," she remonstrated, although she was sure the attempted authority in her voice would be drowned in her static charged hair and red face.

Jacob tossed the t-shirt to one side and then sat up, pulling her closer to him in one fluid movement. "This was unexpected," he mused. "And very nice." He didn't bother to hide the fact he was staring at her bra. "Very pretty. The lace is a different colour." His fingers traced the pattern of the lace on her bra, and then Bella felt his hand roughly cup her left breast.

"Ouch, Jake. Not so hard," she hissed.

Jacob let go as though he had been electrocuted. "Sorry, Bells."

"Just be gentle," she suggested. This time he held her breasts tentatively in his hands, caressing her over the fabric of her bra and skidding his thumb over her nipple area. She bit her lip, surprised that the action seemed to hit a nerve somewhere deep between her thighs.

"That better, honey?" he murmured, kissing her neck. She managed to make some sort of coherent response to the affirmative, just as Jacob's hands snaked up to her bra straps.

"Much as I like this bra, Bells," he whispered, tucking his fingers under the straps. "I think it'd be better if it came off. What do you say?"

"Rip it off me!" she proclaimed with a giggle before protesting. "Wait, don't actually rip it off me; it cost me thirty bucks."

Jacob fumbled with the catch at the back for a brief moment before Bella felt the fabric loosen against her. He slid the straps as far down her arms as they would go before tucking his thumb and forefinger around the front of her bra and pulling.

"Don't need you," he muttered, sliding the whole thing off and flicking it behind him where it caught on the mirror of her dresser.

"Jake!" Bella giggled, but Jacob had barely noticed, transfixed by her breasts as though he were being hypnotised.

"Wow," he breathed. "Your boobs are incredible."

"They're no big deal," Bella replied. "And I mean that literally."

In truth, she had always treated them as some sort of necessary appendage that wasn't particularly aesthetic; they were kind of small and just there, and she did her best to cover them up.

"They're perfect," Jacob insisted, tenderly caressing her bared breasts with a reverence Bella thought would have only been reserved for handling the shroud of Turin. "Besides, I have it on good authority that any more than a handful's a waste," he proclaimed, pressing a slippery kiss to her lips which Bella struggled to maintain, too busy sinking into the sensations that Jacob's constant experimental meanderings were inducing.

"It's no good," Jacob grunted. "I'm going to have to…"

"What?" Bella asked, the word turning into a shocked moan of pleasure just as Jacob pressed his lips against her breasts, gently sucking at her nipple and grazing it slightly against his teeth.

"Bella, honey," he whispered, kissing her skin frantically as she wriggled in his lap, pressing against him. She felt something that she could only assume was his erection straining against her, and she unconsciously ground against it.

After a while he pulled her away a little. "Sorry, Bells. Unless you want me to make a mess, you're going to have to stop doing that," he gasped.

Bella felt herself blush. "Sorry."

"Don't be, honey. I'd make love to you right this second, if that's what you want-" He stopped suddenly and looked at her with a curious mixture of desire and acute embarrassment. They remained in each other's arms, staring, until Bella broke the silence.

"I think… I think maybe I'd like that."

Jacob took his hand and rested it gently against her face. "You sure? I mean, really sure?" He seemed to hold his breath waiting for a response.

Bella suddenly felt nervous. Was she ready for this? She wasn't sure, except that she was sure she'd have been utterly mortified were she ever to have ended up in this state of undress around Mike. With Jacob it felt… well, it felt okay. Nice, even.

Jacob gently leant forward, pushing her back onto the bed, his arms still holding her steady. "I don't want to rush things," he said, kissing her cheek. "Don't get me wrong, my first statement still stands, and I think about it a lot. But when I'm thinking about it, you want me as much as I want you. So if you're conflicted, even just a little, then hold on, because I will."

Bella snaked her hands around his waist and slid her hands under his shirt, dragging her nails along his skin, causing him to hiss at the contact.

"Damn, Bells," he whispered.

"I can't think properly," Bella whispered. "Not with you here."

"Then don't," Jacob suggested, before pressing a kiss to the crook of her neck. "I'll just stay here and we can carry on doing this." He placed another kiss on the hollow of her throat. "No thought required." Another of his kisses landed somewhere between her jaw and her cheek. "No rush."

She pulled him closer into a kiss, her breath hitching just a little as the fabric of his shirt brushed against her naked upper body.

Suddenly, the front door slammed shut causing them both to jump.

"Bella? You home, kiddo?" Charlie's voice called up from the stairs.

"Shit," Bella hissed. "Where's my shirt?"

"Right here," Jacob whispered, handing her the t-shirt which she hastily put on while he grabbed a couple of note books and pens, handing her a set once she was ready.

By the time Charlie knocked on the door and poked his head around the door, Bella was confident all he could see were the two of them sitting on her bed diligently doing their homework.

"Everything alright in here?" Charlie asked, his expression effused with suspicion.

"Fine, Dad." Bella replied airily. "We're just, you know, doing our homework."

Jacob nodded in agreement. Charlie glanced at them both, at Bella's dresser and back at them again, his expression displaying incredulity.

"Oh really? What homework are you doing?" he asked, his arms folded as he leant against the door frame. "Anatomy?" he suggested archly.

Bella felt her face glow red so fiercely she was convinced airplanes would start trying to gain landing permission to her bedroom.

"Bells, your t-shirt is on inside out," Charlie pointed out. "And shouldn't you be thinking about getting home, Jake? You've got school tomorrow."

Jacob looked a little confused by this, until suddenly, his expression registered understanding. "Oh, we weren't having sex, Charlie," he said brightly. "I only touched her-"

"Go home, Jake," Charlie instructed coldly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Erm, sure, sure," he replied, finally getting the anvil-sized hint. "Sorry, Charlie." He stood up and kissed Bella gently on the lips. "I'll see you soon, yeah?" he asked.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'll call you."

Once Jacob had left, Charlie walked into Bella's room and sat next to her on her bed.

"You didn't have to kick him out, Dad," Bella remonstrated.

Charlie shrugged. "It was for the best. You know I'm going to have to call Billy about this." He sighed heavily before glancing at Bella's dresser again and coughing. "I think you might want to put that away."

Bella noticed her bra draped across the mirror and cringed inside. "Dad!" she exclaimed, grabbing the bra and stuffing it into the nearest drawer.

The silence between them was agonising. Bella kept her eyes averted to the floor, and she picked at the hem of her t-shirt. The bed jolted a little as Charlie shifted his weight. Eventually, Bella could feel his eyes on her, and she forced herself to look up.

"I don't remember this going on when Mike was around," Charlie said, disapproval lurking in every word, in every line on his face. "Unless you two were more sneaky?"

"No… Dad, I don't really want to discuss my… my private things," she stammered.

"When you're doing them under my roof, we'll discuss them as much as I want." He didn't exactly raise his voice, but there was a soupcon of remonstration there which Bella did her best to ignore.

"Okay," she stammered. "What do you want to discuss, Dad?"

This seemed to put Charlie completely on the back foot. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a goldfish chomping for food. Bella would have felt triumphant were it not for the fact that her father showed no signs of moving. They were going to have this awkward conversation, and Bella wasn't sure who dreaded it more.

"Do you…" He coughed, awkward and embarrassed. "Are you being safe?"

"Dad, I'm not doing anything," Bella protested.

Charlie laughed humourlessly. "Bella, that's clearly not true; don't make me go through all the evidence again."

"Alright, so we were doing… something. But not what you're thinking! We weren't… well, Jake said what we weren't-"

"So, are we talking 'upstairs, outside' or 'downstairs, inside'?" Charlie didn't meet her eyes and couldn't have made it more obvious that he didn't want to have this conversation without wearing a t-shirt with a slogan stating the fact.

His question left Bella somewhat bewildered. "Dad, I… I actually have no idea what you're talking about," she replied, doing her best to look him in the eye.

Charlie stared at the wall directly behind Bella's head. "You know." He was blushing so much he'd practically turned purple. He gestured towards his upper body. "Upstairs," he asserted, before pointing towards his pants. "Downstairs." He patted his shirt. "Outside." Then he put his hand under his shirt. "Inside-"

"Okay, I get it!" Bella hastily interrupted, before staring not quite at him. "Do you really want to know, Dad?"

"No, but I think I should," he replied.

"Fine; upstairs, inside. Okay?" Bella hugged herself as though she were a herbivore trying to protect herself from predatory attack.

Charlie exhaled deeply. "So, second base, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Bella mumbled, wondering if this was actually a deeply clever ploy to ensure she never wanted to do anything remotely sexual ever again for risk of having another conversation like the one she was currently engaged in.

"I know you're growing up Bells. You'll be off to college soon, being an independent woman. But Jake's young. You need to think about that." He coughed again. "Do you feel, I mean, you care about him, right?"

"Dad! Of course I do!" Bella covered her face with her hands.

"Right. Good." His gaze shifted to Bella's quilt. "He cares about you too?"

"Yes," Bella said with a sigh. "Trust me, there's no coercion, no mind games. We just… we like spending time together, in lots of different ways."

Charlie nodded deeply, silently. Bella became swiftly aware he didn't really know what to say. He patted down the tiniest of creases in the quilt. "You know, you need to be responsible. About… about what you do. So you don't get pregnant, or… okay, you're unlikely to catch anything from Jake," he said awkwardly, "but still-"

"Dad, I'm not having sex with him!" Bella insisted. "We've only being going out a few months." She shook her head. "I get that you're concerned, Dad, but we're not running around causing trouble. We're just… expressing our feelings together. Privately," she added in a tone that she hoped conveyed her subtle insinuation that one, this discussion was rather intrusive and two, she knew what she was doing when it came to Jacob.

"I trust you, Bells," he said sternly. "Just… will you go to the doctor?"

"Dad, I just told you-"

"For me, please? I just want you to be safe if, you know, you change your mind."

He patted her knee gently before getting up and leaving her bedroom. "I think I'll turn in now, Bells. 'Night," he said, making it clear the torture was over for the time being.

"Goodnight, Dad," Bella replied, flopping onto her bed and burying her face in her pillow, feeling increasingly humiliated when she heard her father's muffled voice on the phone.

"Well, Billy, they were, you know… No, not that…" Charlie cleared his throat. "It was 'upstairs, inside', I heard… Yeah, I think it's a generational thing, Billy… Well, I got Bella to admit it, but Jake just came out and said… Oh, he told you, huh…? It's not funny, Billy. Seriously, stop laughing… Will you just talk to him? I sure as hell don't want to have to do it… Wait, what do you mean, you already have...? He's only sixteen! Leave the liberal stuff to the hippies…? I do trust him, Billy. He's a good kid… I'm worried because they're just kids…! Well, sure, she can vote… Okay, okay, I see your point. I'll talk to you later."

Bella was grateful that Billy seemed to take it in his stride; she was certain she couldn't have handled a full dual-parent onslaught over this.

As her embarrassment waned, she found herself thinking about her and Jacob prior to their interruption, and with some surprise she realised she felt curiously frustrated.


	8. Chapter Seven: Responsibility

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella's problems with her classmates are far from over, while she and Jacob consider taking their relationship further.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, Confettirainfall, and thejmeyer. Thank you also to audreyii_fic for checking over a vital section for me.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Responsibility**

The day Bella had finally booked an appointment with the friendly, if condescending, Dr Porter ranked as one of the most uncomfortable in her time at Forks. It was worse even than the conversation over the phone she had with her mother following Charlie's parental talk about the physical aspects of her and Jacob's relationship.

"Your father tells me you've been a naughty girl," Renee chastised in the most teasing fashion over the telephone.

"Mom, we really weren't doing much." Bella felt every bit as embarrassed as when Charlie had prompted the same conversation, although she was grateful that this time her blushing face was not on view.

"So, second base, huh?" Renee commented.

"Yeah. That's not what Dad called it-"

"Oh, he didn't use that stupid 'upstairs, downstairs' thing, did he?" Renee asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, he did."

There was a pause as Bella heard her mother gulp down some sort of drink.

"Sorry, sweetie. Anyway, your father wanted me to talk to you-"

"Sure, let's get this over with, Mom."

"Okay," she replied cheerfully. "So, Jake." She paused again. "Was he okay handling your boobs? Because I remember the first time a guy got his hands on my puppies, and boy, did he make a mess of it-"

"Mom!"

"-It was like he was milking a cow-"

"Mom! Please!" Bella felt her whole face burn with the intensity of a thousand suns.

It didn't take long after that for Bella to discover what kind of talking to Jacob had received from Billy.

"He was cool," Jacob said as he tinkered with the engine to yet another car he was fixing up – a 1970 Dodge Challenger that belonged to Jack Spencer who owned the grocery store in La Push.

"Define cool," Bella pressed, leaning against the side of the car.

Jacob shrugged. "He asked me if it was what you wanted. I said yes, and then it was the usual: treat her with respect, don't do anything she doesn't want you to do, make sure you use a condom if and when you need to. Normal stuff, you know?"

Bella nodded, scratching off a bit of dirt from the car door with her fingernail.

"I'm sorry," Jacob said out of the blue.

"Sorry? For what?" Bella asked, rather surprised by Jacob's apology. She couldn't figure out what he had to apologise for.

"About what I said to your dad. I should have kept my mouth shut; it's not for me to say what we get up to. That's your choice." He leant over the open hood of the car and kissed her on the cheek. "It won't happen again. Promise."

That had left Bella speechless. Even now, when she thought about it, she was surprised by his ethos. 'A Gentleman Never Tells' was an idea Bella had assumed to be long dead since the arrival of US Weekly.

Eschewing the school nurse because the last thing she wanted was her classmates even getting an inkling of what she was up to, and avoiding the local doctors for similar reasons of protecting her privacy, Bella found herself taking an hour long drive up to a clinic in Port Angeles where nobody would know who she was. The consequences of anybody finding out about her enquiring into contraception were too hideous to contemplate.

News travels fast in a small town after all.

Climbing out of her car upon reaching the family planning clinic, Bella nearly jumped back in and drove straight home. A large crowd had gathered around the entrance, braying with malice and waving placards with grotesque pictures that Bella initially thought were of roadkill.

"_I have to do this,"_ she told herself, taking deep breaths. _"I have to be responsible…"_

Hiding as much of herself as possible in her coat, she bundled her hands in her pockets and walked as quickly as possible, nudging her way through the crowds.

"Murderer!"

"Only God has the right to…"

"Whore!"

"Your baby is a living being!"

Someone waved a pamphlet in her face, and Bella was surprised that such an act could be done so aggressively. It bore the headline '20,000 Babies Are Murdered In The US Every Day!' and beneath it was one of the same photographs plastered on the placards. At such close range Bella could see it wasn't roadkill after all but a dismembered foetus, the expulsion of an abortion.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled, pushing the pamphlet away from her and hightailing it into the clinic, close to tears.

At the reception, Bella came face to face with a matronly middle-aged woman whom she was convinced would treat her request with utmost disgust.

"Can I help you, dear?"

"Bella Swan. I'm here to see Dr Porter," Bella said nervously.

The receptionist smiled. "I'll let her know you're here." Suddenly her expression changed to one of concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just… the people," she managed to stammer out, pointing towards the entrance where the mob could still be seen through the glass of the doors.

The receptionist clicked her tongue in frustration. "Ignorant… I know it's hard, but just ignore them. They only started up recently and don't really seem to understand the concept of family planning; assume we pressure every woman within a fifty mile radius to have an abortion." She shook her head, and Bella got the impression this was just a typical day at the office for her.

The time Bella spent in the waiting room before the surprisingly young and comfortingly frumpy Dr Porter called her in was just enough to allow her to compose herself. She imagined how Jacob would have handled the situation, deciding he'd probably have just swaggered out and yelled, "For every foetus you stop being aborted, I'll abort three!_"_ just to annoy them. The thought amused the dark part of her soul.

"Well, Miss Swan. How can I help you?" Dr Porter asked, with a welcoming smile that put Bella at her ease, helping her dispel her irrational fears that Dr Porter would, inexplicably, know who she was and tell all the mothers in Forks what the Chief of Police's daughter had come into her office about.

"The thing is, Doctor… I'm sort of, well, I am, seeing this guy."

Dr Porter leant one elbow on her desk and swivelled her chair to face Bella, looking at her with a neutral expression. "Oh, I see. You want to know about contraception, right?"

"Well, I was thinking about it-"

"Oral Contraception is probably your best starting point, but it won't protect you from STDs – Sexually Transmitted Diseases – so you'll want to use some kind of barrier protection alongside it, such as a condom. Is this a long-term relationship? Have you considered the implant?"

Bella sat in her chair for a moment, overwhelmed, unable to form a sentence. "Umm, I don't know."

"Have you had sexual intercourse before?"

"No!"

"Alright." Dr Porter reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a handful of colourful leaflets with titles such as 'Saying No, The Way to Go!', 'STDs: Know the Facts' which included a graphic image of a pustule infested scrotum, and some sort of anti-pregnancy scare-tactic of a booklet called 'Teenage Kicks' with a picture of a frightened looking youth cradling her swollen stomach.

"You know, dear, this is a serious step to take in any relationship. You shouldn't rush into it unless you're completely comfortable with it." She sat back a little. "The number of girls who come in here asking for contraception, you'd be surprised how many have got older boyfriends pushing them into it. You shouldn't feel ashamed."

"Actually, my boyfriend's younger than me," Bella interjected. "And he isn't pushing me into anything. I… I just want to be prepared in case we decide to take things further."

Dr Porter merely smiled gently. "Ah, well that's alright then. It sounds like you're both being very sensible."

She turned to face her computer and tapped on the keyboard. "Do you smoke, Miss Swan?"

"No."

"Do you drink alcohol at all?"

"No. I'm eighteen."

"Is there any family history of blood clots?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Are you on any medication?"

"No."

"Do you suffer from depression?"

"No."

"Are you due to have any surgery?"

"No."

"And you've already said you haven't had sexual intercourse, but just to be certain, are you pregnant?"

"No."

"Could you be pregnant?"

"Well, no. Obviously."

If Dr Porter noticed Bella's sarcasm, she chose to ignore it completely. "Could you just take your shoes off and stand on the scale for me please?"

Bella did as she was told, allowing Dr Porter to measure her weight and height. The doctor frowned at the scale measurement and suggested she was close to being underweight, and before Bella could protest she gestured for her to have a seat so her blood pressure could be checked.

"Well, that seems nice and healthy," Dr Porter concluded while removing the cuff from Bella's arm. "I'd suggest oral contraception, initially. I can give you a prescription right now. It works by mimicking certain hormones that stop your body from releasing eggs and prevents your womb lining from thickening properly…"

Bella sat rigid listening to the casual way this doctor was talking about things such as womb lining and thickening vaginal fluids. She nodded in the right places about it not working with antibiotics or when you've been sick for more than twelve hours and what to do if you forget to take one, vowing to read the little information pack that comes with all drugs.

"You need to start taking it on the first day you start your period, and take seven days off once you have finished a pack before you start another. You'll have a 'fake' period in that time, which will probably be much lighter than you're used to, but that's perfectly normal. And remember, it won't protect you from STDs, so you'll need to use a condom for that. Any questions?"

"No, that sounds great," Bella replied, desperate to get out of the clinic. She sat anxiously as Dr Porter printed off a prescription and handed it to her along with all the leaflets.

"Come and see me if you have any more questions," Dr Porter insisted. Bella nodded her acquiescence just before Dr Porter peeked out through the window and frowned.

"Would you like someone to escort you to your car?" she asked. Bella must have looked surprised by this, for Dr Porter continued. "The demonstrators have been a bit rowdy today."

"I'll be fine. Thanks," Bella replied, mutely refusing to let them get to her. If anything, they should be happy about what she was doing; it would prevent her from being responsible for those statistics they were so furious about.

As she left the clinic through the gauntlet of demonstrators, Bella felt almost elated that all she had to endure now was yet another day of frosty civility from her peers tomorrow.

* * *

School was a little better now that some time had passed. Ben had always been pleasant enough towards her, although Bella assumed this was largely due to the fact he was going out with Angela, and this overrode the influence of his guy friends just enough. Eric seemed relieved to talk to Bella, leaving her with the impression that the imposed boycott of Bella Swan was none of his doing. Lauren was just as cold as ever, and today Jessica and Mike were even worse.

"Congratulations, I'm happy for you guys," Bella said genuinely when Mike and Jessica announced to her that they were now, officially, a couple. They had all been waiting for their gym teacher to turn up when the two strode across to Bella, wordlessly ending the Bella Boycott.

"Oh, I'm so glad," Jessica said in a tone that suggested she was hoping to cause a lot more pain, snaking her arm around Mike's waist. "We were kind of worried how you'd take it."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Well, 'cause of the whole you making out with some kid thing and Mike dumping you-"

"Hey, I've been dating that 'kid' for months," Bella retorted. Jessica and Mike exchanged glances, and Bella quickly realised they hadn't expected her to still be seeing Jacob.

"Really?" Mike sounded incredulous.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, we're… It's nice," she finished lamely, not wanting to say too much.

Mike picked up on what was unsaid, however. "So, you two are pretty serious, then?"

"Yes. Yes, we are," Bella said calmly.

Mike's expression turned a little colder, but he managed a smile. "I'm glad it's worked out for you," he said in a tone that suggested he had to force the words out, just as their gym teacher turned up to put Bella through the usual hour and a half of physical humiliation.

When they were getting changed to go back to classes, Jessica decided to place herself, fully dressed, in the empty space next to Bella.

"I know I shouldn't say this," she admitted, "but I'm kind of glad you screwed Mike over like that."

"I didn't mean to…" Bella began to explain, but swiftly realised her words were falling on deaf, or uninterested, ears.

"We'd never have gotten together if I hadn't helped him through the heartache…. Hey, Angela!" Jessica called as Angela walked past.

"What's up?" she asked, her face beaming with joy. Bella knew Angela well enough to figure she had seen Jessica and Bella talking and assumed everything was fine again.

Bella knew better.

"Can't wait for the gig tonight! _'_Redefining Gravity_'_ are going to be so awesome!" Jessica practically squealed. Angela grinned.

"Yeah, Ben's a big fan. Hey, didn't you want to come, Bella?"

"Erm, this is the first I've heard about it," Bella replied.

Jessica looked horrified, but in the way someone who was never going to win an Oscar might. "Oh my God, I thought somebody would have asked you!" she exclaimed.

Bella shrugged. "It's no big deal," she said. In truth she would have loved to have gone; they were one of her favourite bands at the moment, but there was no point bringing that up when Jessica had clearly orchestrated this on purpose.

"Weren't you organising it, Jessica?" Angela asked brightly.

Jessica shrugged. "I thought I'd gotten Eric to ask Ben to ask you. Never mind, there's always next time."

"Yeah," Bella replied as Angela got up and left, wondering if she preferred the cold shoulder she had been getting beforehand to this veneer of pleasantry.

Suddenly, she heard a buzzing sound.

"I think that's your cell phone," Angela pointed out as Bella took it out of her bag and read the text message that had been left.

'_Hi hon. Q, E and I got tix 2 C RdfngGrvty 2nite. Got U 1, remembd U had albm. Let me no, can sell if UR not int. ILU-J'_

"It's from Jake," Bella said after deciphering the message. "Looks like I'm going to this gig after all; he bought me a ticket. Do you know what 'ILU' means?"

Angela giggled before leaning in towards Bella. "I think it means 'I love you'," she replied. "I take it that's his first text message declaration?"

"Yeah." Bella could feel the blush creeping up her neck.

"He's working up to the real thing, Bella." She looked at her seriously. "Is that okay? Or is it a bit scary?"

Bella tried, and failed, not to smile. "It's kind of scary, because it isn't, you know?"

Angela patted her on the back. "Face it you're falling for him."

Bella said nothing in response, instead she merely stared at the text message and the prescription buried deep in her bag. Maybe she was?

* * *

By the time Bella had swapped her jeans and t-shirt for a slightly dressier variation and drove her truck up to Jacob's house, she could already see Quil and Embry decorating his Rabbit with oddly shaped balloons, sniggering all the while.

"What's going on, guys?" she asked, stepping out of the truck just as Quil was turning purple in the face with the effort of blowing up his sausage-shaped balloon.

"Hey, Bella," Embry said with a wave. "We're pimping Jake's ride."

Jacob emerged from the house in his staple jeans and fitted t-shirt and practically ran towards Bella, sweeping her into a giant hug.

"Hey honey," he whispered into her hair.

"Hey yourself," she replied, kissing him on the lips before gesturing towards his Rabbit. "Care to tell me why your friends have decorated it with balloons?"

Jacob looked acutely embarrassed, and he dragged his hand over his face. "Guys? Aren't we a little old for that?" He almost managed not to laugh.

"You're never too old, Jake," Quil said with a chuckle as he tied the end of his balloon in a knot.

Jacob sighed and looked at Bella. "We had a sex ed class today," he explained. "We got given freebies…" His resolve broke, and he burst into hysterical giggles. "Get rid of them, guys," he managed to say. "We're supposed to look mature and sophisticated."

"You know, I could have sworn we had a lot more of these," Embry mused. "I just can't think where the rest of our stash might have gotten to."

Jacob turned a brilliant shade of red as both Embry and Quil stared at him, knowing expressions plastered across their faces.

"We had to put condoms on plastic dicks," he continued.

"Yeah, and our teacher first got us to do it blindfolded," Embry added.

"I think he just did that so he could take photos, you know?" Quil posited.

"What? So he can upload them?" Embry suggested.

"It was supposed to be to see how we'd put them on in the dark," Jacob explained to Bella. "I don't really get it. I'd want the lights on. I'd want to see my girl," he whispered before turning away, suddenly flustered, as though he had gone too far.

Bella avoided his gaze as a blush crept up into her skin.

* * *

Quil and Embry had popped most of the condom-balloons by the time they set off on the road, but a few still remained in the back of the car. Quil kept bouncing them maddeningly at the back of either Jacob or Bella's head.

"Why does she get the front seat again?" he complained as they hurtled down the highway. "She's practically a dwarf-"

"Hey, watch it!" Bella demanded.

"Because she's my girl, and she matters more than your knees," Jacob replied in a bored tone, his hand slipping from the gear stick and encasing Bella's own.

Suddenly, he slowed down and glanced across at the side of the road.

"Man, they look in trouble," he mused. Sure enough there were a group of panicked guys standing around a Transit van, the hood popped and smoke rising from it.

Jacob pulled over.

"Aww, man, can't you leave it alone?" Embry said. "We're going to be late."

"I'll just take a quick look." Jacob got out of the car and starting talking to one of the guys standing on the road who looked pathetically grateful when Jacob started peering under the hood.

"Jake can't leave broken-down wrecks alone," Quil said to Bella. "It's like throwing a bone to a dog; you know he's going to chase it."

Jacob opened the trunk of his Rabbit. "They just need coolant," he said with a grin. "They poured in the last of theirs, but left it to cool before closing the lid." He laughed as though it were the punch line of a very funny joke. "I told them, it's a closed system, you have to just seal it in-"

"He even talks like a mechanic," Embry pointed out. "And yet he hasn't figured out how to overcharge."

Soon enough, the guys and their Transit were back on the road, tooting their horn in thanks. Jacob swung back into the driver's seat and headed off.

"See? That was like ten minutes," he insisted. "No big deal."

"Alright, Mr Good Samaritan. We'll only miss a bit of the support band," Quil agreed.

* * *

They parked up close to the venue, a small club in one of the seedier parts of Port Angeles. Jacob slung his arm effortlessly around Bella's shoulders as they walked as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Quil and Embry walked in front, casually chatting until Embry stopped dead.

"Hey, Bella, is that your fine friend over there?" he asked. Bella followed his gaze and saw he was staring at Angela, who noticed them and waved.

"Hi, Angela," Bella said, joining her in the line with Jacob, Quil and Embry in tow.

Oh, hey! You guys made it, then?" Angela asked, gently touching Bella on the arm.

"Yeah. You remember Quil and Embry, right?"

"Of course. Hi, guys."

Embry offered Angela a dazzling smile. Quil merely nodded.

"We'd have been here sooner if Jake had a hold on his addiction," Quil mock-grumbled.

Angela looked shocked.

"He thinks I've got a 'fixing things' complex. All I did was stop to help some guys out with their van. No big deal," Jacob defended.

"So," Embry drawled, eyeing Angela. "What's a nice girl like you doing waiting here all on her own?"

"Actually, my boyfriend's with me," she explained. "He just went to take a call. It's pretty noisy out here."

The look of disappointment on Embry's face was palpable. Bella tried to smother her giggles. Quil clapped him on the arm but said nothing.

"So, you seen these guys before?" Jacob asked, presumably to distract Angela's attention.

"No, first time. You?"

"Same."

Ben arrived just as the line started moving. "Hey," he said, stretching his neck to kiss Angela on the cheek. Bella heard hastily smothered sniggers from Quil, Embry and Jacob.

"Sorry, hon," Jacob whispered to her. "I know I'm going straight to hell, but it is kind of funny."

"Lucky bastard," Embry breathed. "I'd say he's just the right height."

"Shut up," Bella hissed.

"The others have just parked," Ben explained, mercifully oblivious. "They'll be with us in a minute… oh, hey Bella."

"Hi, Ben."

Bella swiftly introduced her two groups of friends, and apart from a few height gags, they seemed to get on fine. Then Bella spotted Mike, Jessica, Lauren and Eric in the distance.

"We'd better go," she said.

Angela looked a little upset. "Oh, stay, Bella. It'll be fine."

Ben looked uncomfortable. "Maybe Bella's got a point—"

"Ben!" Angela smacked Ben in the chest, her expression one of horror.

"I'm not agreeing with them, baby. I just know it could end up awkward," Ben reasoned somewhat submissively.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Please," he said derisively.

"He was really cut up about it, you know," Ben argued.

"Yeah, I get that," Jacob protested, "but it's been months now."

Bella tugged on his arm. "Let's just go. I don't want to cause a scene; I just want to have a good time tonight," she said, trailing her hand down to his and squeezing it. He smiled at her and kissed her on the head.

"Sure, sure," he replied as they made their way along the queue.

"What was that about?" Embry asked once they were out of earshot.

Jacob sighed. "Mike won't let it go," he answered simply.

Quil shook his head. "Unbelievable. You're cool with Kelly and Jared now, right?"

"Yeah." Jacob shrugged. "You get a month of whining, then nobody cares. You either get over it or piss everyone else off."

"Are they still together, then?" Bella asked.

Quil laughed. "They lasted three weeks, I swear," he replied.

"She didn't beg me to take her back," Jacob added. "Trust me; you'd have known if she had. I'd have been full of it."

By the time they had handed in their tickets and got the back of their hands stamped, Embry was in full flow. "He's a douchebag," he insisted, still talking about Mike. "True, this dude walked in on his girlfriend making out with another guy." He looked at Bella. "That kind of makes you a slut," he said apologetically, before glancing at Jacob. "But, dude, it totally makes you the man!"

They high-fived each other as Bella glared. "It's nice to see double-standards are still thriving despite the past forty years of female emancipation," she retorted, leaning against the dark red corridor next to the cloakroom to allow a few people to squeeze past.

Quil shrugged. "Jake's a junior who stole a senior's steady girlfriend, also a senior," he explained. "Those three factors are the only things that make him a dude instead of a jerk…"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Jake. You know it's true."

"And ignore Embry," Quil said to Bella. "It makes you a slut in an 'all-teenage-boys'-fantasy' way."

"I'm living the dream," Jacob commented, pulling Bella into a kiss.

"My point is that it's whack," Embry continued. "This Mike guy's got a new

girlfriend. What does he care if Bella and Jake are sickeningly happy? He's got problems. Either he's still totally into you, or he's bitter. Bitter like cyanide coated lemons… Sorry, man," he said as a blonde haired guy nudged roughly into him as he handed a couple of coats over.

Bella felt her stomach tighten in shame. "Hi, Mike," she offered lamely.

"Bella," he acknowledged stiffly before walking away arm in arm with Jessica.

"Erm, whoops?" Embry offered as Jacob slugged him on the arm.

"You dickwad," he hissed.

"Hey I didn't know it was him, did I?"

"It's okay, guys," Bella said. "Let's just go and stake out a spot, yeah?"

* * *

They stood near the front and to the side of the stage, just as the support band started to play. They were all in for a surprise.

"Dude, it's those guys in the Transit van," Jacob exclaimed.

"No way," Quil replied.

"Yes way. I was talking to the bass player about engine wear."

"Bet that was a scintillating conversation." Embry rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Hey, I got them here, Embry," Jacob retorted.

Although Bella didn't catch the name of the band, she figured she could probably make a few educated guesses. They were a bit too loud and angry for her tastes, but her companions seemed to quite like them.

"You okay, honey?" Jacob said into her ear, slipping his arms around her from behind, pulling her against him.

"Just taking it all in," she replied, tracing his fingers with her own as the front man suddenly pointed in their direction.

"Oh, man. It's our guy!" he exclaimed happily. "Dudes, we have to dedicate our last song to him. That guy out there totally saved our ass when our tour bus broke down." He paused for effect. "I say tour bus; really it's more of a tour van. But still, we only got here because he fixed our baby…"

Most of the crowd cheered, Bella heard a few scattered comments of, "Wish he'd left them stranded."

"This is for you, my man," the front man continued, sliding his microphone back into the stand, adjusting his guitar strap slightly. "It's a cover; a cover some of you may know can be played two ways. This is the way we like it."

People started turning around and staring. Jacob merely smiled back.

"This is weird," he commented to Bella.

"Enjoy your moment of fame," she replied.

The song itself seemed to consist of car terminology used as double-entendres which made Quil and Embry laugh heartily, at least.

"Dude, are we safe in the back seat of your Rabbit?" Quil asked of Jacob. "I mean, you wipe it down when you're done, right?"

The comment earned Quil a sharp punch to the arm courtesy of Jacob.

"Quil!" Bella remonstrated. "We have never used Jake's car in that way!" she protested, feeling her cheeks burning red.

"Maybe we should, though," Jacob pondered, just before Bella jabbed him in the stomach.

As the band started packing their equipment away, Bella looked around and saw Mike, Jessica and Lauren staring in her direction, whispering to each other and laughing. She turned to face Jacob.

"What's up, honey?" he asked as his eyes raked across the room. He pulled her into a tight hug. "Just ignore them," he whispered. "They're not worth it."

At that moment, the tall bass player tapped Jacob on the shoulder. "Hey, man," he said. "Sorry to interrupt-"

"Hey, it's cool," Jacob replied. "Awesome gig, by the way."

"Thanks," he replied, flashing Bella a smile as she nodded in agreement. "Couldn't have done it without you. Seriously."

Jacob shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"It was to us," the bass player insisted. "We were in the shit, man." He yanked his guitar case a little higher over his shoulder. "Listen, if you'd like I could probably score you and your friends here some backstage passes for after the gig. It's nothing that special, but we've got a free bar."

"That'd be rad," Jacob replied. "Thanks."

"What's your name?" the bass player asked, flicking his hair out of his eyes.

"Jacob."

"Ryan," he replied. "I'll catch you later, man."

"Yeah, later," Jacob replied as Ryan clapped him gently on the back and walked off.

Quil and Embry stared at Jacob, their eyes seemingly ready to bulge out of their sockets.

"Dude, I take it all back," Embry said in reverence.

Jacob shrugged. "He probably won't even remember," he replied.

When Ryan returned with four shiny laminate passes, Bella could see that Jacob had been the most surprised out of all of them.

* * *

"I should have brought my album," Bella whispered to Jacob as they passed security. "I could have gotten it signed."

"Hey, I'll buy one; we'll get it signed, you keep it and I can have your old one," Jacob said, and Bella was touched by the gesture.

"Did I mention you're the best boyfriend ever?"

"Nope. I think you're going to have to do that more often."

'Redefining Gravity' had been an amazing live experience. Bella's ears hadn't stopped ringing since the band's final encore. Two songs in she'd wondered if her ribcage would ever stop vibrating as the music found its way into her body, blaring from the PA system. Five songs in she decided she didn't care. The rhythm section worked in unstoppable tandem, the guitarist was cool and aloof, strumming with his side-parted hair hanging over his face as though he couldn't care less there was a paying audience in front of him. The singer made the girls around her squeal so much it became funny. Bella could see the attraction in a skinny, tattooed rocker sort of way, but it didn't win her over. At least, she thought, he could sing.

This didn't stop her practically gawking as the guy walked past her, offering an, "Excuse me, darlin'," over his shoulder as he strutted over to the bar.

"Oh. My. God," she whispered to Jacob. "That was—"

"I know," Jacob said in almost equal reverence. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"We're acting like groupies," Bella remonstrated.

Jacob raised his palms in mild rebuke. "I'm not," he insisted. "Sure, I liked the gig, but I have no desire to screw him."

Bella slapped his hand. "Jake! That isn't what it's about!" she insisted. At that moment, Quil and Embry returned from the bar.

"Oh, Bella," Embry said, handing her a soda. "See, I told you. We love your naivety. It's adorable."

"Yeah, you see those girls over there? The hootchie chicks?" Quil asked, gesturing towards a couple of girls in very revealing clothing and more make-up than Bella thought she even owned.

"Umm, yeah?"

"We saw their guest passes. Trust me, they look very different to ours," he replied.

"Different how?" Bella asked with a frown.

"Different, like, they have cocks printed on them," Ryan pointed out as he sauntered over to them. "You having a good time, guys?"

"Yeah, it's interesting…"

"Wait, they have _penises_ drawn on their _passes_? That's horrible!" Bella exclaimed.

Ryan chuckled. "I guess it depends which way you look at it. I'll admit we were all surprised, didn't think the Brits' had it in them."

"Man, I want to be in a band," Quil commented. "That sounds awesome."

Jacob shrugged. "Sounds pretty empty to me," he mused.

Quil raised an eyebrow at him. "That's because you're already getting it," he replied.

Jacob glared at him. "Dude!"

Quill glanced at Bella and shrugged. "Sorry, Bella," he said. "But you know, he's always so happy to see you."

"I just meant, it's not fun being some girl's toy, so I wouldn't have thought it was much fun the other way around," he replied. "Anyway, it's deeper than that for me and Bells."

This time Ryan was trying not to laugh. "I've got to hand it to him," he said to Bella, "he's really trying. Don't make it too easy for him, huh?"

"Hey, you're supposed to be on his side, man," Embry pointed out.

Ryan shrugged. "I'm on the side of the pretty girls. Always," he said with a joking wink in Bella's direction.

Bella glanced at Jacob, awaiting some sort of jealous reaction but was surprised not to get one.

He merely shrugged. "What? You're pretty, Bells. I can't argue with the guy about that," he said.

Bella felt herself frown, unexpectedly perturbed by this.

"Hey, what's up?" Jacob asked quietly, while Embry, Ryan and Quil were debating the advantages of attracting girls through music.

"I guess I expected you to be a bit… I don't know, annoyed?"

"Is that bad?"

"I don't know," Bella answered honestly. "Mike would have had a fit."

She noticed Jacob's hurt expression and felt immediately guilty. She grabbed his hand in hers. "I'm not comparing you two. I just… I guess I don't get it."

Jacob squeezed her hand and smiled again. "Well, I'm not going to go crazy because some guy says you look nice. I'd be permanently angry," he pointed out. "I know you don't see it, but you're hot. Besides, I'm your boyfriend, not your keeper. I couldn't exactly stop you if you wanted to run off with another guy. I just… well, I guess I think you wouldn't. Things seem good right now."

"Sorry, Jake," Bella replied.

"What for?"

"I…" Bella sighed and shrugged.

"You don't have to apologise for over thinking. It's your thing, Bella. It's something I like about you. There's always something going on in there," he said, stroking her head.

She looked up at him and smiled. "You're the best, Jake," she sighed, nestling her head against his shoulder.

"I know," he joked back just as Bella grabbed his glass of soda.

"Hey!"

"Come on, if you're the best boyfriend ever then you won't mind me taking a sip," she cooed. Jacob rolled his eyes.

"What can I say? I was clearly very thirsty," she protested.

"I could just get you another one," he suggested. "It's a free bar, remember?"

"I'll come with you," she offered.

"If you're going, could you get us a Bud?" Ryan asked.

Jacob laughed. "Dude, they won't give me a Bud," he said.

Ryan shook his head. "Man, I keep thinking you're my age," he said. "No worries."

Bella and Jacob made their way to the bar, squeezing past hangers on and finding themselves sandwiched between a group of boisterous guys trying to chat up the harangued barmaid and a blonde girl in a ridiculously short denim dress who was giggling flirtatiously with…

"Jake," Bella hissed. "It's the lead singer! He's standing right there!"

Jacob casually turned around, doing his best to look without being noticed. "Oh, yeah. He looks older up close."

Bella heard the singer whisper something to the girl, who giggled and replied, "Yeah, see you later…"

"Lauren?" The words were out before Bella could stop herself. The girl swung around, her platinum blonde hair bobbing around her ears.

"Oh, it's you," Lauren replied icily. "What are you doing here?"

"Jake helped some guys fix their car, and we got passes," she explained. "What about you?"

Lauren sighed as though the act of continuing this conversation was the height of tedium, but her eyes glittered in a way that suggested she was desperate to tell somebody about this. "I kind of hit it off with Steve," she said grinning. "He invited me backstage."

Instantly Bella's eyes travelled to Lauren's laminated pass. She wasn't surprised to see it was different to hers.

"Whoa, Lauren. Are you sure about this?" she asked, knowing just what Lauren was getting herself into. This was the same girl who had fallen for the three biggest scams to hit Forks; the 'record label' scam, the 'modelling agent' scam, and the 'pay twelve thousand dollars in admin fees to claim your one hundred thousand dollar jackpot win' scam. By the third one, Charlie had found it difficult to keep a straight face when Lauren's mother reported it.

Lauren glared at Bella, her conceited smile snapping into a sneer. "Oh, that's rich, coming from the womb-snatching little slut," she spat.

Bella almost reeled in shock. "Excuse me?"

"You're the one Mike caught on her back with some boy. I am here with a man."

"Yeah, a man who's been hitting it off with tons of women here!"

"Like I said, you were the one Mike caught on her back with some boy. Where do you get off questioning my morals?"

Bella felt her jaw drop, but she fought to stop it. "We weren't doing anything," she protested. "I didn't want to be the one to stand back and let you do something stupid without thinking it through." She scowled at Lauren. "Sorry if my 'moral questioning' offends you," she spat sardonically.

"What's all this, ladies?" Steve, the lead singer with 'Redefining Gravity', was standing in front of them both, glancing between Bella and Lauren. Bella might have been vaguely star-struck were she not so angry.

"Nothing. Forget it," Lauren said.

Steve shrugged and glanced in Bella's direction. "Hey, if you want to join us you're more than welcome, sweetheart," he said, looking her up and down in a way that made Bella feel very uncomfortable. He really did look a lot older close up.

"No, thank you," she said in her best prudish voice. "I'm here with my boyfriend." She gestured towards Jacob's mildly hulking figure, still patiently waiting to be served as the waitress looked at him apologetically.

Steve shrugged again. "He can come too. I'm open minded." He slid an arm around Bella and she caught a whiff of his breath. It smelled like lighter fluid.

"I said no," she replied firmly, taking his hand off her shoulder. She looked around and saw the guitarist leaning at the bar, watching the scene with vague curiosity.

"You don't have to be so bleedin' uptight, love," Steve drawled. "It'll be fun. We're all grown-ups here-"

"Her boyfriend isn't," Lauren jeered. "What is he, fourteen?"

"Sixteen," Bella snapped back. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Aww!" Steve grinned indulgently. "That's sweet! Isn't that sweet? You should come with us, I could teach you a thing or two."

Bella gaped at him, not quite sure if she was more shocked that he had just said what he had said, or that Lauren seemed to think it was perfectly reasonable behaviour.

"Did you not hear me!" she spat back, angry at herself for thinking, even for a moment, that he was cool. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jacob return to her, holding two drinks.

"Hey, Bells. Is everything alright?" he asked, handing Bella a soda and putting a protective arm around her.

"We're just trying to get her to loosen up," Steve said, his words a little mangled all of a sudden as he downed yet another shot. "She's a bit frigid, though." He hissed through his teeth and looked at Jacob sympathetically. "Must be tough, guy."

"Dude, if she said she's not interested, she's not interested," he replied evenly, touching Bella on the arm.

"You want to find the others?" he asked her. Bella nodded.

"Oh, come on, spoilsport. Don't be so uptight! We'll have fun!" Steve insisted.

"I said no," Bella seethed.

Steve smirked, shrugged his shoulders. "They don't always have to be underage, sweetheart." He grabbed her arm a little roughly, Bella pushed him away.

"Leave her alone," Jacob retorted, his previous strained affability wiped clean away.

Steve looked at him and sniggered. "Calm down, kid. I didn't mean any harm. He smiled, but Jacob did not appear placated.

"Yeah, we're just having fun," Lauren urged, looking to Steve for approval. "Lighten up, Jacob."

"Jacob? That's… That's unexpected," Steve mused, almost toppling into the bar. "I was expecting something more 'New Age'." He sniggered again. "Have you got an Indian name?"

Jacob glared at him. "You know what? I do. Translated into English it's 'Kicks-Your-Skinny-White-Ass-If-You-Don't-Apologise-To-My-Girlfriend'. Roughly," he replied frostily.

Steve drew himself up to his full not-so-impressive height, which put the top of his head at Jacob's chin. He looked as though he was considering starting a fight. Jacob stared back, his muscles flexing a little under his t-shirt.

Eventually, Steve turned to Bella and made an exaggerated bow. "My apologies, Princess," he said, before ushering Lauren away by pressing his hand to the small of her back.

"What a dick," Jacob exclaimed before turning to Bella. "You okay, honey?" he asked.

Bella let her shoulders sag. "I'm okay," she said. "It was Lauren, really. Just… oh, she was just being horrible to me. I know I should be used to it, but…" She sighed. "She was just really nasty. Called me a 'womb-snatching little slut' for going out with you."

Jacob looked furious. "She said what? What a bitch!" Then he snorted. "She doesn't see the irony of that statement when she's dropping her panties for some guy old enough to be her uncle who's only going to do her and dump her?"

Suddenly, Bella saw the guitarist sidle up to them.

"Great," she whispered to Jacob. "We've pissed them all off, now."

Jacob shrugged. "I just wish I'd got that album signed first."

"Actually, he's probably old enough to be her dad," the guitarist said to them. "Just about. But, got to say, you're American and know how irony works? I'm impressed."

He smiled, his expression an odd mix of teasing and awkwardness. He held out his hand. "I'm Nick," he said.

Jacob shook his hand. "Jacob," he replied, gesturing to Bella. "This is Bella."

"Hi," she offered, glancing at Nick, who appeared to be silently judging her.

"I'm sorry about Steve," he said. "He's a…"

"Bit drunk?" Bella offered, remembering the smell of his breath.

The guitarist shrugged. "I was going to say 'wanker', but whichever works for you." He offered an uneasy smile, as though he found this whole conversation difficult.

"Why are you in a band with him, then?" Jacob asked. "Awesome show, by the way."

"Thanks," he replied quietly. "And he's good at what he does. You can't get on with everyone in the office, right?" He looked down at the floor and smiled again. "I just like to write songs, you know? Somebody has to have the balls to stand up there and belt them out."

It suddenly dawned on Bella that far from being aloof, Nick was actually very shy.

"They're really good songs," Bella enthused, her previous irritation with 'Redefining Gravity' melting away. "Do you write all of them? I'm not really one for reading all the album credits."

"Pretty much," he replied. "Steve and Kev, he's the bass player, they wrote 'Snow Job' and 'Cat Got the Cream', which I am so glad I don't have to sing." He sighed. "Basically if it's about sex and drugs, they probably wrote it. If it's political or about books, it was probably me." Nick seemed almost embarrassed about this fact.

"I liked that one about the ethnic cleansing," Bella said.

"Oh, 'Karaman's House'?" Nick enquired.

Bella nodded. "I know that sounds weird, but I really thought it was emotive. That line, 'Gather your victorious, revel in her pain. Who cares about her mother, who cares about her name?' It's awful to think things like that still go on…"

Nick looked overjoyed. "Nobody ever gets that! One of the tabloids went mental when they heard that song. They thought it was condoning rape, but it's all about the Bosnian war and the campaign against the Bosniak populace. It was one of the biggest atrocities of the nineties, and I wanted to make a statement about it."

He sat down on a bar stool and looked up at them both through his floppy hair. "Can I ask you two something?"

"Sure," Jacob replied.

"What's the big deal about you being sixteen?" He looked genuinely confused. "When I was nineteen I had a girlfriend who was sixteen. It's no big deal. How old are you, Bella? If you don't mind me asking."

"Eighteen," she replied, just as Quil and Embry wandered over to see what the fuss was all about.

"He's jailbait, dude," Quil pointed out as Embry smirked.

"Yeah, she's playing with fire, man, seducing our innocent friend," he added, a devious grin on his face which wasn't removed by Bella smacking him on the arm.

"He is not," she replied crossly, which only served to make Quil and Embry laugh more.

Nick still looked puzzled. "I thought sixteen was… oh, wait. It's eighteen here, isn't it?"

"Nah, it's sixteen," Jacob replied, "but there are a bunch of laws that pretty much make it eighteen if, you know, one of you is a teacher or older-"

Quil made a coughing noise that sounded suspiciously like 'Jailbait'.

"Older than five years," Jacob said loudly over Quil's fake coughing.

"What is it in England, then?" Embry asked.

"Sixteen," Nick replied. "Just sixteen."

"How much are plane tickets to England?" Embry queried excitedly.

Quil nudged him in the ribs. "You have to find a girl first," he advised.

"Details," Embry replied airily as Nick glanced awkwardly around at them all.

"I must admit, it's not often I've heard of an eighteen year old going out with a younger guy. Isn't it usually the other way around?" he asked, no malice in his voice, clearly just curious.

Bella shrugged. "I guess. It just sort of happened."

"Yeah, over, like, a year. It was like something out of a soap opera," Embry retorted.

"How so?" Nick asked, his eyes betraying his acute interest.

Quil sniggered. "Apparently—"

"Dude, let it go." Jacob was shaking his head.

"Right, Bella's a senior, okay?" Quil said to Nick, ignoring Jacob.

"Okay," Nick replied warily.

"And she's dating this other senior, but she's friends with Jake, who's a junior. They're getting close, but she won't admit it, and he's crushing on her big style. To cut a long story short, her boyfriend walks into her house and sees her…" Quil was laughing so hard he could barely get the words out. "…Sees her and Jake on the kitchen table making out like they're in 'Atonement'_,_ seriously going at it."

"You've seen 'Atonement'?" Embry asked, his expression incredulous.

Quil shrugged. "What? I can't have depth?"

Jacob smirked. "You just wanted to see Keira Knightley's—"

"Shut up," Quil interrupted. "Anyway, he freaks, they split up, Jake and Bella get together, and he becomes a legend amongst his peers, and that's pretty much it."

Nick's lips were pressing together, his shoulders shuffling a little as he tried not to laugh. "That's… that's cute," he managed, eventually.

In Bella's eyes, Nick turned out to be the best thing about seeing 'Redefining Gravity'. Not only did he get all four of them signed copies of their album on the grounds that "Nobody's really heard of us over in the States. Play them at your school dances, to your mates, anything, and you'll be doing us a favour…" but he also had a strange request for Bella and Jacob.

"This is going to sound kind of weird, but I wanted to ask rather than just do it."

"What?" Jacob asked cheerily.

Nick looked at the floor and coughed a little nervously. "I liked your story. I really thought it was sweet. I wondered if you'd mind if I maybe wrote a song about it?"

"Seriously?" Bella and Jacob said almost simultaneously.

"I thought maybe a funny song. I don't write many of those, and I'd like to do something cheerful on the next album. The ballad of a teenage guy seducing the older girl-next-door sounds perfect."

"Well, only if the names are changed to protect the guilty," Jacob teased.

"Oh, no names, no pack-drill, mate," he replied quickly, which Bella presumed was a yes.

* * *

"I can't believe you're going to get a song written about you," Quil enthused as they drove back to La Push. "That is so awesome!"

"Hey, that's if it happens," Jacob replied, one hand on the steering wheel, one arm around Bella's shoulders.

"Something to tell the grandkids, right?" Bella commented, causing Quil and Embry to audibly inhale in shock.

"I didn't mean… that doesn't necessarily mean us," Bella hastily amended, embarrassed at her slip of the tongue. Her potentially Freudian slip of the tongue.

"Aww, come on, Bells," Jacob said languidly. "You shouldn't be embarrassed about wanting my babies."

"Shut up, Jake," she hissed, slapping his thigh.

"We'd have beautiful kids, and you know it," he replied. "They'd have my black hair, your big brown eyes-"

"They?"

"We'd have two. At least," Jacob affirmed.

This time Embry and Quil looked horrified.

"Shut. Up. Jake!" Embry punctuated each word by jabbing Jacob in the neck with an inflated condom.

"I thought you'd got rid of all of those," Jacob shot back.

"Sounds like it's a good job I didn't," he replied. "Bella, you'd better keep hold of the rubbers, make sure he wears one. Staple it onto his dick if you have to… Jesus, man, have you gone crazy!" he exclaimed hotly.

"I'm not saying tonight or anything, just…" Jacob's cheeks burned crimson. "I don't want to discuss this with you two pricks, anyway."

The journey continued for a few miles in silence, but Bella was hyper aware of Jacob's hand on her leg.

"Sorry, honey," he whispered. "Didn't mean to freak you out. It's seriously so far on the horizon—"

"I just didn't know you'd thought about it," she whispered back.

Jacob shrugged. "Not seriously," he admitted. "Just… I've thought about it."

Then he grinned, flashing her a brilliant smile as he leant over to her, eyes still on the road. "I think we should have a lot of practise in the things we have to do to get a family first," he breathed, his hand caressing her thigh. Bella's hand shot to his, to clamp firmly over it, keeping him there. She felt him look at her but couldn't return his gaze; instead she traced circles over the knuckles she could reach with her index finger, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"Yeah, like getting a job and getting married, being responsible," Embry drawled, clearly having overheard. "Things my dad should have practised."

Jacob was visibly cowed. "Sorry, man."

"It's cool. Just don't be a dick like him." He sighed. "Whoever he is."

Bella turned around to face him. "You don't know your own father?"

"Nope," Embry replied flatly. "And I don't want to know, thanks. He's a dick, that's enough for me. Don't want to put a face to that, you know?"

It wasn't long before they reached La Push, dropping Quil off at his house, followed by Embry further along.

"Seriously, you guys," he said, his teasing grin of before replaced with a stony expression. "Be careful, alright? Be safe." He enunciated the words with enough force for Bella to be under no illusions as to what he was referring to.

"Embry, cut it out. We're not doing anything, and we know," Jacob insisted. "Later, bro."

"Yeah, later," he replied, shutting the car door and walking to his house, leaving Bella and Jacob alone.

"It's about a minute's drive to mine," Jacob explained, putting the car into gear and moving away.

"Jake?" Bella asked, her eyes on the floor.

"Hmm?"

"Do you… I mean, we could…" She took a deep breath. "Do you want to go for a drive?"

She felt Jacob look at her. Nervously, she turned and met his gaze, soft and warm. Just as nervous.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Somewhere… quiet?"

He drove ahead, passing his house and her truck. "There's a cove near the beach," he said. "Nobody hangs around there at this time of night."

"Sounds good."

They got onto the main road, and Jacob took his eyes off the road for a brief moment.

"Bella, are you sure you want to do this?"

"I… Yeah… I don't…" She couldn't find the words, which frustrated her. Why was it so hard to say what she meant?

"We can just, you know, park up and… just see where things go," Jacob commented. "No agenda, no expectations. Just you, and me, and the Rabbit. Which, by the way, had better keep her mouth shut," he warned.

Bella laughed.

He pulled over to a spot overlooking the beach, sheltered by heavy foliage.

"Would it help if I said we definitely won't have sex, but everything else is a maybe?" he offered.

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I think that's good," she replied, unbuckling her seatbelt and leaning her seat back a little. Jacob tentatively reached over and stroked her face with his hand before leaning in and pressing a delicate kiss to her lips, one which Bella accepted greedily. She felt him smile before kissing her more deeply, moving a hand down to her waist and tucking it under her t-shirt, circling his thumb against the skin there.

"Honey," he murmured, reaching further forward, practically climbing out of his seat as Bella instinctively slid her fingers up through his glossy hair, pulling him closer to her.

Suddenly, he winced as though all the air had been kicked out of him.

"What's the matter?" Bella asked as Jacob pulled away and curled up into a ball.

"Sorry, Bells," he gasped. "I kind of… the stick shift hit me in a pretty sensitive area."

He gripped onto the steering wheel as Bella tried not to laugh.

"Oh my… Are you okay, babe?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Jacob moaned. "It won't be so funny if we can't have those hypothetical children after all."

Bella patted his knee comfortingly, and squeezed his hand as he managed to laugh, the pain evidentially subsiding.

"Maybe we should try the backseat," Jacob suggested.

Bella giggled. "How very 'American Graffiti' of you."

"What can I say? I value my balls," he replied. Bella lifted the lever that allowed her seat to fall right back, and then shimmied over to the back seat, kicking the front seat back into an upright position. Jacob looked at her, looked down at his larger frame, and got out of the car, pulled the seat forward and clambered into the back with Bella.

"Well, this is cosy," he whispered, sliding his arms around her.

"Very," she acknowledged, leaning back into the seat, pulling him down with her, sliding down the upholstery a little so her head wasn't crushed against the door handle. His claiming kisses were a little rougher, more ragged than usual as his hand reached behind her head and pulled her closer. Bella started pulling at his t-shirt, and he broke their kiss long enough to whip the whole thing off. She tossed the t-shirt to one side and stroked his face, his neck, trailing her fingertips down his chest. With a sly smile, she pressed herself into a semi-upright position and trailed a few kisses down his breastbone and along his stomach until she was almost at the waistband of his jeans.

"Bella…" Her name escaped from his lips like a confession, and she kissed her way back up again, slowly, deliberately. He looked at her, and his eyes blazed in a way Bella had never seen before. She put her arms around him and let him press her into the upholstery, kissing him all the while, feeling his hand slide up and down her leg, stroke her thigh, tentatively creep between her legs.

Their eyes met at the moment Bella consciously slid her legs apart, allowing Jacob access. He took full advantage, caressing up her thigh, between her legs. A dull thrum of pleasure started to build before he stopped and pulled himself up onto his knees, straddling her right leg.

"Bella," he said in a surefooted manner that his apprehensive expression didn't mirror.

"Hmm?"

His hands travelled up to the button of her jeans. "May I?" he asked, running a finger over the metal disc.

Bella felt herself nod before she was aware she had made a response. "Yeah, sure," she said, her mind made up.

They collectively held their breaths as he undid the button and slowly pulled down on her zipper, the noise of metal against metal astonishingly loud, almost amplified by the car interior. He tugged down on her jeans and slid them down to her knees, partially pulling her underpants down with the action, despite her trying to stop them. Jacob swiftly slid her underpants back up, aware of her discomfort.

"Slow and steady, huh?" he breathed, stroking her hair away from her face with one hand, the other sliding over her knee, up her thigh and cupping…

The sudden surprised squeal that escaped Bella's lips stunned her more than it did Jacob, who merely smiled, stroking his fingers against her through the cotton in a delicate rhythm.

"Oh, you like that, honey?" he murmured, and Bella burst out laughing.

"Jake," she giggled as she bucked her hips against him, torn between laughter and the new, intense pleasure starting to tingle through her bones.

A wholly different noise sang out when he slid his hand inside her underpants, his fingers slicking over parts only she and, on occasion, the nurse had been near before.

"Wow," he gasped as he continued to stroke and tap gently with his thumb, ever changing messily traced circles. "You're so wet."

Bella wanted to die, of embarrassment or sheer bliss she wasn't entirely sure.

It didn't take long for the latter to win out completely. Jacob started exploring further afield, his fingers sliding in deep and tickling while keeping that same rhythm with his thumb, slipping now and then as he tried to keep both actions going simultaneously.

Bella closed her eyes as she began to come undone from the inside out, taking ragged, greedy breaths, opening her eyes just long enough for his to bore deep into hers before suddenly, it bloomed, the sensation rolling through her nerves. She had to grab his wrist to stop him from continuing, for it was too raw, too tender.

"Wow, did you just…? Wow." Jacob beamed with a mixture of pride and joy before kissing her languidly. Buoyed by his happiness, Bella thought she might just melt into the back seat. Blushing to the roots of her hair, she made a wordless contented murmur and smiled back.

"Hell, yeah," she replied, kissing him again. He pressed his forehead to hers, and gently pulled his hand away from her underpants.

"Ah," Bella said, reality flooding back a little. "Do you need a tissue or something?"

Jacob shook his head and proceeded to suck each of his fingers.

"Ew, Jake!" Bella remonstrated.

Jacob merely shrugged. "What? You taste good."

She smacked his arm, giggling. "No way is that true," she replied.

"Who's the one trying?" Jacob retorted before grinning inanely. "I'll never forget this."

"What, licking my… you know, off your fingers?" Bella asked sarcastically.

Jacob shrugged. "A little. I was thinking more of you when you… popped."

"Popped? I'm not sure that's the word, Jake," Bella replied.

"You popped," he insisted. "Like a champagne cork when the pressure's too much. It was beautiful."

He sighed happily and cuddled her, his warm weight pressing against her on the tiny backseat.

"You know that every time I jerk off, I'm going to be thinking about this, right?" he declared.

Bella sat up suddenly. "Jake!" she snapped, a little horrified. She knew logically that Jacob would do that sort of thing; she just didn't need to hear about it.

He flinched a little, as though he were a puppy taking a beating. "Sorry, Bells. I just… There's no one else, not even in my thoughts, you know?"

"Erm, thanks, Jake," she replied a little sarcastically, although her stomach tingled pleasantly at the thought of such unexpected exclusivity. He leant forward and kissed the tip of her nose. Bella tilted her head upwards a little, encouraging him to kiss her on the lips once again. He did so, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss. Tentatively, Bella's hands strayed over the crotch of his jeans, feeling his erection as it strained against the seam.

"Damn," he muttered breathlessly, and Bella was suddenly rather curious about what happened when Jacob 'jerked off'.

She pulled away and pulled her jeans back up over her hips before kneeling on the back seat facing him.

"Bells? Honey? Is everything okay?" Jacob looked rather worried. "I didn't mean to upset you about the, you know, jerking off thing."

Bella shook her head. "I was just thinking," she said nervously, her hand resting on his thigh as close to his crotch as possible without actually touching it, in the hope her unspoken signal would be heeded.

"Thinking what?" Jacob asked, his expression unchanged and making Bella aware that she needed to be less subtle.

"I was wondering if…" She bit her lip apprehensively and was surprised to see the fabric of Jacob's jeans stir a little. Emboldened by this, she trailed her hands up to the waistband of his jeans and unbuttoned the zipper.

"Mmm?" Jacob looked as though he was holding his breath.

"Maybe I could have a go? At, you know, the whole jerking you off thing?" she offered coyly, pulling on the zipper and exposing his boxers. White, fitted, buttoned.

In the way.

"You sure, Bells?" Jacob half asked, half moaned. "I mean, I'd really like you to, but only if you want-"

"I want," Bella declared, popping the buttons and doing just that.

It was odd at first. For one, the friction felt as though it ought to hurt, and Jacob seemed in a little discomfort. Some hand cream from her purse seemed to do the trick. Then there was figuring out whether her movements were too hard or not enough, but Jacob was vocal, putting his hand over hers for a little while and telling her she didn't need to be so careful. She was just starting to get a rhythm going when a sudden aggressive banging on the window scared her so much, she nearly pulled the damn thing off.

"Sorry, baby," she whispered as an angry looking Jacob pulled up his jeans and reached over to the door.

"What the hell is going on!" he roared. From her vantage point, curled up in the back seat of Jacob's Rabbit, Bella could see a boy around Jacob's age, brawny and smirking. One she vaguely recognised.

"You need a sign, Jake. 'If the Rabbit's a rocking, don't come a knockin'," he said, laughing.

Jacob was not remotely amused. "Piss off, Paul."

"What?" Paul's voice was mocking. "Did I interrupt your gentleman's time?" He leaned into the window and stopped in his tracks.

"Whoa! I wasn't expecting… Bella, right?" Paul looked Bella up and down appreciatively which made her feel rather uncomfortable.

"Back off," Jacob warned. Paul shrugged, flashed them both a winning smile.

"Hey, I'm not leering over her, I'm just… wow, I'm impressed. Nice one, Jake!"

Jacob leaned forward and grabbed Paul's shirt, dragging him towards the door, startling him.

"If I hear one word- just one word- about this around the rez, I'll know it was you. And I swear to God, I will break every bone in your body, wait for them to be set and then stamp on each of your casts until they need to be reset. You got that, dickwad?" he snarled.

"Dude, your secret is safe with me." He looked agitated, and Bella had to suppress a smile at the thought of anybody being intimidated by her sweet Jacob.

Then again, right now he was doing a very good job of being intimidating.

Paul clapped Jacob on the arm. "I saw nothing, guys," he said, with a dark smile. "Later Jake, Bella." He inclined his head towards her with a smirk, before walking away as Jacob slammed the door shut.

"Wow, I ought to hire him as my own personal cock block," he muttered, shaking his head. "Sorry, Bells. This place is usually dead, man. I have no idea what he was doing hanging around."

"Maybe he likes to watch?" Bella replied, which made Jacob laugh.

"Perhaps." He sighed and put an arm around Bella. "Is it just me, or did he seem to be, I don't know, cool about us all of a sudden?"

"Yeah, I got that vibe too. Sort of," Bella replied, knowing that of all Jacob's tales of playground teasing over his relationship with her, Paul was the lead. In fact, Paul was the only one still at it. Everyone else seemed to have accepted it by now.

Jacob shrugged and pulled Bella into a hug, kissing her gently on the lips. "You want to go home?" he asked, stroking her hair.

Bella pulled away and stared at him. "Well, if you don't mind, I was kind of in the middle of something. May I continue?" she asked, smiling shyly as she glanced in the direction of his crotch. Jacob raised his eyebrows and pulled her into a deep, longing kiss, which she took as a 'yes, please'.

Finding that rhythm again didn't take nearly so long the second time around once she pushed him back into the upholstery, straddling him and relishing the power she had over him, the pleasure on his face.

"Damn, Bella, that feels so good," he groaned while stroking her thigh lovingly, utterly unabashed in showing her how he felt, how she was making him feel. It made her feel a little daring.

"How good, baby?" she whispered, teasing her fingers along him. He hissed, and his fingers dug a little into her thigh.

"Real good… you're a… a fucking goddess, Bells," he moaned, his back arching into the seat.

"Wow," she replied smoothly, silently cursing herself for not reading more copies of Cosmopolitan magazine, because the temptation to use her mouth was starting to build, only she didn't know where to start. If this was all it took to be a goddess…

Suddenly Jacob's hand flew to her wrist. "Bells, honey, hold on," he begged. "I'm going to—"

Too late to heed the warning, he did. All over Bella's t-shirt.

They stared at each other, Jacob looking utterly mortified, his hand clapped over his mouth.

"Bells, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He squeezed into the gap between the two front seats, frantically feeling in the glove compartment.

"It's just as well I bought a band t-shirt, huh?" Bella commented, gingerly easing herself out of the soiled t-shirt.

"I've got some tissues here somewhere, I'm sure," he said, still clattering around.

"It's fine," Bella insisted as she pulled the new t-shirt on over her head. "Don't worry, babe."

He slid back over to the backseat and carefully tucked himself back into his boxers, zipping his jeans up. He leant over and kissed Bella, a sloppy languid kiss that conveyed joy and, ultimately, gratitude. She slung her arms around his neck and pulled him into an embrace.

"I don't know how I'm going to explain this one to Dad," she mused.

Jacob took the t-shirt from her lap. "I'll take care of it," he replied. "I'm Laundry Boy in our house. I'll bring it over to you at school tomorrow; no-one will ever know."

"Thanks," Bella replied sleepily, nuzzling her head against his chest. "Now, I demand cuddles."

"Sure thing, mistress," Jacob said cheekily, sitting her on his lap and holding her tightly, stroking her hair as she rested her head against him.

"Wasn't I a goddess earlier?" she mused quietly against his shirt.

Jacob pressed a kiss to her head. "Okay; sure thing, Goddess Bella," he said back. "Better?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, vowing the next thing she would do after school tomorrow would be to get that prescription made up at the farthest away drug store she could drive to before it closed.


	9. Chapter Eight: Promises

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella realises just how deep her feelings for Jacob are when she makes the ultimate sacrifice for him... becoming his prom date.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Aprylle D, Confettirainfall, and thejmeyer.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Promises**

"How do I look?" Bella asked Angela nervously, swirling her deep purple dress around and checking her hair yet again in the mirror. For the umpteenth time, she made sure that the thick, silver ribbon criss-crossing over her bare back and holding her dress in place was securely fastened at the small of her back.

"I tied that in a double bow, and you look gorgeous," Angela insisted, handing Bella a silver purse. "Jacob's going to be luckiest guy at his prom, okay?"

Bella paced nervously, relieved her thigh-highs seemed to be living up to their name and remaining thigh high. The dress bared so much of her back she couldn't wear tights as the waistband showed. She had even had to go and buy new underpants, ones that sat low on her hips, for the same reason. It had taken all day to get used to them.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered as Charlie half watched a football game on TV, half watched the drama unfold in his living room.

"We do crazy things for love, kiddo," Charlie assured her, flashing a cheeky smile.

"Shut up, Dad," Bella hissed, much to Angela and Charlie's amusement. "Why did I agree to this again?"

"Because Jake _James Bond-_ed it to your school and asked you in front of half your class?" her father teased.

Bella sighed. That wasn't strictly true. The reality was that Jacob had rolled into the school parking lot on his motorcycle – his favourite of the two Bella had bought him that he had lovingly restored – right alongside Bella and wordlessly, discreetly, slipped her a paper bag which she knew contained her freshly cleaned t-shirt.

"I even ironed it for you, honey," he whispered while cutting the engine.

"Thanks," she replied, thinking it rather odd that Jacob could even use an iron, much less would bother to iron her t-shirt. She was about to ask until she realised that Jacob probably did all the ironing in their house, along with the laundry. She slipped the bag into her back pack while he loitered nervously.

"What's up, Jake?" she asked, her hands finding his clutching the handles.

He smiled at her but looked as though he was working up to something. "Well, Bells," he said. "I was thinking a lot about, you know, us and last night… Good thinking, you know? Awesome thinking, the kind that couldn't wipe the dumb smile off my face even when I was sitting through Trig today."

"Okay…" Bella was starting to feel a little nervous herself.

"Yeah, so I was wondering, if maybe…. You don't have to. You totally don't have to, it won't affect anything, I'll still lo- I'll still be crazy about you. I just thought, maybe, you'd be cool with getting a little serious."

If it hadn't been obvious to Bella before, it was sparkling crystal now. He was building up to the Big One. A whole different kind of popping to the one he watched her do last night. The kind that involved cherries.

"Honestly, Jake?" she whispered, running her fingers over his, staring down at the way her pale skin contrasted with his darker tones. "I was going to the drug store right now."

"Huh?" Jacob's expression was nonplussed.

"To get my prescription filled," she encouraged. His expression didn't change.

"I'm going to go on the Pill," she whispered in his ear.

Jacob blinked and looked surprised. "Oh, wow," he said finally, looking down at their entwined hands before meeting her gaze. He grinned. "Actually, I was trying to ask you if you'd be my date for the prom."

Bella felt herself blush furiously.

"But, hey, that's really, really cool too," he insisted, kissing her on the cheek, looking a little flustered himself.

Bella felt herself recoil ever so slightly. "Jake, you know I don't do proms."

"See, that's why I didn't want to freak you out," he said. "But hear me out. There are loads of reasons you should come and why it would be awesome."

"Go on," she said, folding her arms and waiting to be persuaded. Jacob kicked down the rest on his bike and climbed off, standing in front of her. Bella noticed a crowd was starting to gather.

"One, I'll be your date, and I'm fun with a capital _'Fu'_." He winked at her, making it clear he was horsing around and hadn't misunderstood how the alphabet worked. "Two, you've already got a killer dress. Three, you already have a great necklace to wear with it. Four, Quil and Embry will be there. Dancing. Like, white dancing-"

"White dancing?" Bella felt her eyebrows furrow.

"Like, you know, dancing at a club dancing," Jacob explained. "Not ceremonial dancing. Because Embry's actually pretty good at that…" He grinned at Bella. "I don't care how clumsy you are," he continued, "you won't look as mal-coordinated as those two. Five…" He lifted up the seat of the bike and pulled out a lovingly arranged bouquet of wild flowers tied up with a big ribbon. "I brought you flowers," he announced, handing her the bouquet.

"They're beautiful," Bella exclaimed. "Thank you!"

Jacob grinned bashfully. "And finally, six…" He pulled a small box out of his back pocket and dropped to his knees. Bella nearly had a heart attack, especially when the gathered pupils collectively gasped.

"Relax," he said quickly. "I'm not proposing."

Bella felt herself instantly breathe again as he opened the box, and she saw an intricately woven band of coloured leather, adorned with purple and silver beads. It was like no bracelet Bella had ever seen Jacob make; and she had seen him make a lot to sell at markets and at a number of shops in towns along Route 101. Although the design looked vaguely familiar; Bella wondered if she had seen it in the gift shop in town that sold flowers and overpriced trinkets. It had taken Jacob a mere thirty second recce through their gold-plated Claddagh rings and resin Celtic lovespoons to decide never to sell his jewellery there.

"It's… well, it's a very special bracelet. It's kind of like our equivalent of a promise ring," he explained.

"Okay," she replied, trying not to grin like an idiot. "What are you promising?"

"Me," he replied simply. "To you. I'm kind of all I've got to give… I'm also promising to show you the best night of your life if you agree to be my date for the prom," he added.

Maybe it was the grand, yet utterly unpretentious, gesture, maybe it was the encouragement of the crowd, maybe it was his kilowatt smile, but Bella found herself saying yes and being swept up into a huge bear hug.

"I won't let you down, Bells," he whispered, tying the bracelet around her left wrist. She looked down at it, how perfect the colours were against her skin, how comfortable it felt to wear.

"I love it," she replied sincerely. "I love everything about it."

"Good," Jacob replied, climbing back onto his bike and revving the engine as she clutched at her bouquet.

"Thanks," she replied not knowing what else to say. Jacob smiled, pulling her sharply to him, his hand on the small of her back, and planting a furious kiss to her lips that made her knees buckle.

"Later, honey," he whispered, stroking her hair before driving away, the roar of the engine almost drowning out the collective chatter of excitement but not the gawping stares.

"Wow," Angela breathed. "He knows how to woo a girl… Wow. Is he really only sixteen?" she whispered to Bella, who could only nod.

The text message she had received later only reminded her that she had made the right decision.

'_B, I ws so kewl at ur skool 2day… Untl I skdd bk on way hm. Ws tool thn. Evn she gts wbbly at ur xs. ILU- J'_

Once she had deciphered the message and realised Jacob had relayed a tale of his confidence being knocked when he fell off his bike on his way home from delivering her prom invite, while proceeding to blame the power of her kiss for affecting both him and his motorcycle, she smiled. Honesty could have been Jacob Black's middle name. Only he didn't have one.

* * *

"Am I supposed to keep looking out the window for him?" Charlie asked from his vantage point on the sofa.

"I can do that, Charlie," Angela insisted, lifting the net curtains and peeking out of the window. "You get to be a dad and warn him to take good care of her."

Charlie shrugged. "That's a role I'm comfortable with," he replied. "I'll just go and get my shotgun—"

"Dad!" Bella exclaimed as Charlie got up from the sofa. He merely laughed.

"Just kidding, Bells," he replied as a car pulled up outside.

"He's here," Angela said, peering out through the net curtains. Bella heard the car door shut, and Angela giggled.

"Oh, how sweet! He's so nervous," she commented. "And… oh, he's pulled out all the stops. He has a tux." She frowned. "Not so sure about the Converse sneakers, though."

Bella shrugged. "If it's good enough for 'Doctor Who', it's good enough for me," she replied airily, as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Charlie announced, shotgun in hand and a mischievous look on his face.

"Dad, behave!" Bella begged as Charlie opened the door.

"Hi, Charlie," Jacob said smoothly, looking down at the shotgun he brandished then back up at his stern expression. They stayed that way, staring at each other for a few moments, until Charlie's mouth cracked into a grin.

Jacob burst out laughing. "You're funny, Charlie," he said, his voice drenched in sarcasm.

"Just trying to give you kids the authentic experience," Charlie protested, clapping him on the back as he entered the house.

Jacob stopped in his tracks. "Wow, Bells. You look amazing," he said in reverent tones.

Bella felt herself blush. "Why, thank you. You're not so bad yourself," she replied, taking in the smart tuxedo, cummerbund, his hair neatly tied back in a ponytail. The red and white Converse sneakers on his feet.

"Yeah." He coughed nervously, following her gaze. "I have one pair of dress shoes. Turns out they're too small for me, which I found out, like, an hour ago."

"It's cute," Bella insisted.

"Hey, Angela," Jacob said, raising his hand at Angela. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Hey, Jacob. And it's cool. You're distracted, as you should be," Angela added, watching expectantly as Bella took tentative steps in her new heels and twirled in front of him, before reaching for a hug.

"They okay, honey?" Jacob asked, squeezing her tightly. "I mean, they look good, but—"

"I'll be fine," she replied. "I've walked up and down the stairs in them without coming close to falling over."

"Damn, you look so sexy," he whispered in her ear so Charlie couldn't hear him. Bella pressed a chaste kiss to his lips in response and noticed her father suddenly looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Jacob said reaching into his jacket pocket. He presented her with tissue-wrapped package.

"What's this?" Bella asked.

"Open it and find out," Jacob replied archly. She did so, and it revealed a pretty— if a little squashed— set of purple and white flowers on a band.

"Every prom date has to have a corsage, right?" he asked.

Bella smiled, before suddenly feeling a little guilty. "I didn't get you one… Hold up!" She rushed over to the kitchen and plucked a single red carnation and a few delicate white flowers out of the bunch Charlie had been given by an ecstatic young nurse whose stolen pushbike he had managed to return, snipping the carnation to a sensible length and twisting the white flowers around its stem.

"Here," she said, pinning the creation to his lapel with a safety pin. "It matches your sneakers."

Jacob looked down and grinned. "It almost looks like I did it on purpose now, huh?" He held out the corsage. "Am I supposed to put it on the left, or the right arm?" he asked.

Bella shrugged. "Don't know, but put it on the right," she said. "I don't want to obscure this, do I?"

"Obscure what?" Charlie asked, moving from his position leaning against the wall towards Bella, who held out her left hand to display her hand-made leather bracelet.

"Look what Jake made for me," Bella said with a smile.

Charlie looked stunned, which surprised Bella somewhat. "You have told Bella what this means, haven't you, Jake?" he asked Jacob.

"Sure, sure," he replied, his cheeks glowing pink. "I told her. It's not an engagement thing, Charlie. I mean, it was when my dad was a kid, but we see it more as a…" Jacob seemed to stumble over the words. "As a token of, umm, affection."

Charlie seemed somewhat relieved at this, but it didn't cause him to drop his current protective dad persona. "You make sure you look after my little girl," he demanded of Jacob. "I want her back in one piece."

"I promise, Charlie," Jacob insisted. "She's the world to me."

"I can see that," Charlie said quietly.

Jacob looked at Bella. "We should probably make a move. You ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," she replied, taking a deep breath.

"Wait!" Charlie insisted, dashing out of the room and returning with a camera.

"Dad," Bella remonstrated.

Charlie hushed her. "Bells, this is officially a Kodak moment. Besides, your mom would kill me if I didn't document the event, right? So just pose and think about how you're saving my life, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," Bella said in a faux grudging tone. She nearly died when Angela got her cell phone out and fiddled with it.

"I want one, too," she insisted. "Seeing as we won't be going to prom together."

Jacob looked at Bella, tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear. "I'd be happy to be your date."

"Jake, one prom a year is more than enough," she replied. "Just think how much you mean to me that I'm even going to yours, okay?"

The obligatory photographs taken, Angela cooing, "Oh, you two look so gorgeous!" and they were out of the door, hand in hand heading towards Jacob's car.

"Have fun, kids," Charlie said, holding the door open. Bella noticed Angela cross her fingers, an excited expression on her face. She smiled nervously in response.

* * *

"Hon, is Angela okay just hanging out with your dad?" Jacob asked as they drove up to his school.

Bella nodded. "He offered to take her home when I left; it's all cool," she replied.

They arrived at Jacob's school all too quickly. As soon as Bella saw the streamers and balloons festooning the entrance, angry butterflies began to race around in her stomach.

Jacob caught her eye, and his hand squeezed hers. "I told you," he said as he parked up. "I'm promising you the best night of your life, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Bella asked. "You can back out of that promise, and I won't think less of you."

He silenced her with a deep kiss. "I promise," he insisted, getting out of the car and opening the door for her.

"Wow, since when did you get all eighteenth century on me?" she asked as he offered her his arm.

"It's our prom," he said. "Don't expect this sort of behaviour every day."

"I think it would creep me out if you did this every day," Bella agreed as they strolled arm in arm towards the entrance hall, along with dozens of other pairs and groups of friends.

"Wow," Bella whispered. "I kind of thought it'd be scarier than this. Like, everyone would be with a date."

"Nah," Jacob replied. "If you hadn't wanted to go, I could have come by myself and had fun— we don't freak out about it as much as you guys." He smiled and kissed her hand. "I'm still ecstatic you came with me, though."

They stepped onto a long stretch of white carpet, and Bella looked up to see tinkling white beads frame the doorway.

"It's a 'Winter Wonderland' theme," Jacob explained. "I helped out with the decorations-"

"So you got free tickets, then?" Bella teased.

Jacob shrugged. "Hey, it meant I could buy you a nice corsage," he replied. "And a box of chocolates which I forgot and left on the kitchen table."

"Well, the thought is nice," Bella said with a smile before asking, "Why 'Winter Wonderland'?"

"Because it's easy," Jacob replied quickly. "You chop down some large branches and stick them in pots, spray everything with snow spray and hang up some elaborate snowflake decorations. We finished the whole thing, from design to set-up, in two days."

The prom was set in the school gym, a spacious, if not enormous area, but there weren't masses of students either. Bella estimated around forty attendees, who seemed to fit the space nicely. There was a stage at one end, a temporary DJ booth to the side of that and the rest of the gym was skilfully hidden away by wreaths, small trees in pots, strings of beads and plastic icicles, ornate paper decorations and enough snow spray to cover the entire Mall on the outskirts of Port Angeles, as well as copious sprigs of mistletoe.

"See? It's pretty sweet, huh?" Jacob mused.

Bella nodded. "Very."

Suddenly, she felt someone poke her sides, and she jumped in shock.

"Hey, Bella," Embry said laughing, his arm slung around a girl Bella hadn't seen before. She wasn't exactly pretty, but she had a nice smile and a spark about her. She too was laughing.

"Embry!" she smacked him on the arm, and he laughed.

"What? It's Bella. It's not like she's a real girl."

"Hey!" Bella responded indignantly.

Jacob made a rude hand gesture to Embry. "Didn't get lost then, bro?"

"Nope."

"Only because I knew the way," the girl replied easily, before introducing herself to Bella. A hint of shyness then crept into her voice. Her name was Kim, and it turned out the two of them had gone together simply because all their respective close friends had dates.

"It's cool," Embry said happily. "I'm going to help her make Jared jealous."

Bella noticed Kim's eyes follow something in the room. Turning around, she saw Jared arm in arm with a girl she didn't recognise. They were talking with Paul, who had his arm around Kelly, Jacob's old girlfriend. And Jared's old girlfriend, come to think of it.

"You can't fault her adventurous spirit," Jacob mused, glancing in their direction. "I'm waiting for her to ask you out next, Embry."

"Why not Quil?" Bella asked.

"Because she already did. He turned her down," Embry replied. "Didn't want to tread on Jake's toes… and what exactly do you mean by that? Out of the two of us, Quil's the better catch?" Embry looked slightly hurt.

"I wasn't suggesting…" Bella felt deeply embarrassed; there was no way of answering Embry's question so that it didn't put one of them out. "You're both nice."

"Yeah, yeah, you keep digging that hole," Embry retorted, but he was struggling to hide an amused smile.

"Kelly seems to dig the swagger," Jacob pointed out. "Quil swaggers more than you, Embry. Fact." He paused. "Don't know why he thought I'd care. He knows there's only one girl in my heart right now."

"Who, Jessica Alba?" Embry quipped.

Jacob looked at Bella and grinned. "She's just my back-up girl," he joked. "I'd always call you first."

"Yeah, well, if my cell phone rings, it'll be Brad Pitt. He was so pissed that I turned down dinner with him for this," Bella shot back smoothly.

Jacob pressed a heated kiss to her lips. "If he calls, I'll get Jessica to kick his ass," he insisted as they all made their way to the punch table.

"Where is Quil, anyway?" he asked, pouring a glass of punch for Bella.

Embry shrugged. "He's picking up Suzi; her parents are probably giving him a lecture as we speak."

"Why?" Bella asked.

Kim laughed. "Suzi's a Sophomore," she replied. "Although, out of the two of them, I'd bet that Quil's parents ought to be lecturing her."

"You couldn't possibly be suggesting that sweet little Suzi can't be trusted?" Jacob asked with a grin on his face that suggested he already knew what Kim was thinking.

Kim feigned shock. "Jake! I'm not saying that at all!" She paused dramatically. "I'm saying she's a Grade A Bitch."

Embry nearly choked on his punch and had to spit it back into his cup to laugh.

"Quil likes her, though," Jacob commented. "Don't know why."

Bella looked around and saw a tall man, who she recognised as Sam, standing at the back surveying the crowd. A very pretty girl with glossy black hair and coppery skin was accompanying him. Every so often, she held up her left hand and let a ring on her forth finger glint in the artificial light, her expression elated.

"So, if that's Sam," Bella whispered to Jacob, "I guess that must be Leah, right?"

"Right," Jacob replied, grinning as he saw her. "Yeah, she's pretty relaxed about the whole 'getting married' thing, as you can see. They're chaperoning, along with some of the other new grads. The elders are terrified we'll all become drug-addled alcoholics by the age of twenty-one if we're left to our own devices," he explained with a gentle laugh. A laugh that suggested he didn't think their fear was entirely unjustified.

Bella watched the couple, hand in hand, watching over the party. Over each other.

"Yeah, it's sickening, huh?" Kim said, a little timidly until she suddenly gasped and grabbed Bella's left hand.

"Oh. My. God!" she practically squealed, and Bella realised she was examining Jacob's promise bracelet.

"Yeah, Jake made it for me…" Bella swiftly realised she didn't need to explain this as Kim's eyes darted from her, to the bracelet, to Jacob, and back again.

"Wow," she breathed. "I had no idea you two were so… so serious."

"Umm, yeah." Bella was a little taken aback by Kim's enthusiasm. She thought boyfriends gave girlfriends other promise tokens all the time, although when she thought about it further, she didn't remember Mike doing any such thing. _"Then again, Jacob's pretty special,"_ Bella thought with a smile.

Embry scoffed. "Yeah, like we need to see a dumb bracelet to work that one out," he said dryly, leading Bella to conclude that teenage boys were immune to the bracelet's effects. "Jake has put up with a load of crap to be with Bella. There must be something special about her, right?" He teased, nudging her in the ribs.

"And Bells has put up with a load of crap to be with me, so there must be something special about me too, huh?" Jacob queried with a shy smile.

Bella kissed him full on the lips, slipping her arms around his neck. "There's your answer," she replied.

Jacob nodded. "I think all conversations should be done like that," he mused.

"Not ours, though," Embry insisted darkly.

Suddenly, a harried looking young woman rushed into the hall, a fidgety toddler in her arms. Bella saw the woman's face, exquisitely beautiful features framed by long tousled black hair. She made a beeline for Sam and Leah and appeared to be making apologies as she set the toddler down on the floor.

Embry laughed. "I thought Leah would drag her cousin into this," he commented.

"Huh?"

"Emily – that's Emily, with the kid – is Leah's cousin. Leah's not really the babysitting type, whereas Emily…" He trailed off as Emily caught their eye and smiled, offering a little wave. "She's Emily," he replied quietly.

Bella saw Jacob try to smother the smirk threatening to take over his whole facial expression.

"So, is Emily older?" Bella asked. "She has a baby."

"Oh, that's her niece," Jacob explained. "Emily's the same age as Leah. They've been joined at the hip for, like, ever."

Bella watched as the three conversed, noticed in surprise the way Emily and Sam occasionally glanced at each other when the other wasn't looking. Leah hadn't noticed, and for that, Bella was grateful. She mutely decided not to ask about any of what she had seen.

Soon enough, she didn't have to.

"It sucks, huh?" Embry said to her, his eyes still on Emily.

"What does?" Bella asked, feigning ignorance.

"The way she looks at him, at Sam." Embry said this as though it offended him.

"She can't help it, I guess," she mumbled, unsure what the best way to respond to any of this was.

Embry frowned. "Of course she can't. She could just… she could do better, you know? Sam's not all that."

"Leah seems to think so."

Embry shrugged. "If he was such a dude, he'd stop checking her cousin out. Just saying."

"Do you… is there anything going on?"

Embry laughed. "No way! Well, I don't think so. Sam's too into Leah." He tore his eyes away from the scene, which appeared to take a herculean effort, and looked at Bella.

"I'm not saying he'd, you know... I'm sure he's thought about it, just Leah matters more to him. Anyway, Emily's too good for that," he declared confidently. "She'd never do something to hurt Leah, or anyone, just to make herself happy. She's too…" Embry started inspecting his shoelaces, the tips of his ears turning pink. "Where's Claire?" he asked suddenly.

"Who's Claire?" Bella asked.

"Claire? Emily's niece," Jacob explained, gently touching Bella's arm. "What are you two talking about?" He grinned. "Embry telling you all about Emily, huh?" Jacob nudged an embarrassed Embry in the ribs, who glanced up as though he was ashamed.

"No, I just asked him about her," Bella lied just as Quil entered the room with his date, an attractive, if haughty looking girl with perfect ringlets and expertly applied make-up, who appeared to trip up over something.

She turned out to have tripped over Claire.

The high pitched scream cut through the loud music playing in the gym. Emily jumped as though attuned to it, just as Quil bent down and picked up the toddler, who was red-faced and bawling. He rubbed her head soothingly, whispering things to her Bella couldn't hear across the gym, calming her down. The girl beside him looked embarrassed and annoyed.

"Come on," Jacob said, gesturing for them all to follow. As they approached Quil and his date, Emily's fretful tones became clearer.

"I'm so sorry, I only put her down for a minute. She's at the roaming stage."

"It's cool, Emily. Is Claire okay?"

"She'll be fine. Tough little cookie, this one." She took Claire from Quil and sighed in the direction of Quil's date.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see her." The girl didn't seem that apologetic.

"Watch where you're going next time," Emily gently remonstrated, cuddling the now mollified Claire to her bosom.

"Come on, sweetie. I'll get you some punch, huh?" Emily crooned to the infant as she walked away.

"Wow, some entrance, huh?" Jacob teased.

Quil punched him on the arm. "Hey," he protested as his date grew steadily angrier.

"It was an accident, okay?" she insisted petulantly.

Quil sighed. "You guys know Suzi, right?"

"Yeah, everyone knows everyone around here," Embry replied tartly.

Jacob tapped Suzi gently on the shoulder. "Hey, you two haven't met, right? Suzi, this is Bella. Bella, Suzi," he introduced.

Bella offered her hand, but Suzi didn't take it, instead choosing to stare at her with a mixture of curiosity and distain.

"So it's true, then? Jacob Black's dating a paleface?" she asked, a distinct sneer to her tone.

Bella tried to hide her shock. "We're seeing each other, if that's what you mean," she replied evenly.

Suzi turned to Quil. "I don't get it," she whispered. "What's he see in her?"

"Suzi," Quil said in a quiet hiss. "She's my friend too, you know."

"My dad says they're easy-"

Jacob exhaled loudly, irritation seeping out of every pore. "Bella," he said, offering his hand and effectively cutting off Suzi's rant. "Would you care to dance?"

"Of course," she replied, taking his hand in such a way that she knew would display her promise bracelet to Suzi, who gawped in unflattering disbelief. Clearly whatever Kim had seen in that bracelet, Suzi had spotted as well.

They passed Emily, who was fitting the lid to a sippy cup and handing it to a now much perkier Claire, and moved to the centre of the gym. Jacob twirled Bella around as they danced crazily, messily, to a fast-beat song.

Bella had never felt so grateful to be on a dance floor.

"You okay, Bells?" Jacob asked as he pulled her close for a moment.

"I'm fine, Jake," she replied, glancing over her shoulder at Suzi, who was dancing with Quil. Jacob followed her gaze.

"We'll keep away from her," he promised, before cupping her face gently with his hand. "If you want to leave, just say," he said, his expression serious. "I guess Suzi never got the memo that the rest of La Push had got over us dating."

"I'm not leaving because of one silly little girl," Bella affirmed, before grinning as Jacob nearly tripped over her feet. "I had no idea you were such a good dancer," she added with a soupcon of sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah; laugh it up," Jacob replied. Bella smacked him gently on the arm.

"Actually, I'm serious," she insisted. "I mean, I'm dancing and still upright. That's a new experience for me." She stopped momentarily to kiss him on the cheek. "Really, Jake, I've never had so much fun on a dance floor."

This feeling only intensified when an unfamiliar demo-quality song began to play, a song unmistakeably by _'Redefining Gravity'_.

_Long brown hair tumbling, turns that smile up just a fraction,_

_The gorgeous girl next door is driving me to distraction._

_Whirlin', twirlin' curlin' herself around the Prom King Jock,_

_He acts like he's a big deal, but I know he's just a…_

_Boy, and the hottest girl,_

_Harder than it's ever been,_

_In love with the sexy senior_

_When I'm just sweet sixteen._

_Eighteen, long-legs, my wet dream with her big come-to-bed eyes,_

_The girl next door's my brand of choice, she's got me hypnotised._

_She sidles up to me at school, I can't believe my luck,_

_As she grabs my tie and whispers, 'Hey, I'd really like a…'_

_Boy, and the hottest girl…_

Bella looked up at Jacob who was looking at her, mirroring her own stunned expression.

"I can't believe… He actually did it," he said. "He actually wrote a song about us."

Bella beamed at him. "Well, there's a lot of artistic licence… But it's still so cool!" she said excitedly.

_I taste her skin, I kiss her lips, my hands' full with her charms,_

_The girl next door's no angel as she holds me in her arms._

_She keeps on rocking and I want to keep a lingering,_

_I'll show her how sweet sixteen can be with a…_

_Boy, and the hottest girl…_

Jacob raised his eyebrows. "Do you think he followed us home that night?" he whispered as Bella hid her face against his chest. From her hiding place, she glanced across at Quil and Embry, both on the dance floor, both grinning and pointing at them.

"Come in Mr Black and Ms Swan, your fifteen minutes are up!" Embry shouted across the floor, while the other students in the vicinity stared at him, nonplussed.

* * *

The evening passed in a swirl of dancing, buffet food and new couples sneaking out for illicit make-out sessions.

"Oh, new love," Bella commented wistfully as another couple left the gym, hand in hand.

Jacob looked at her. "Does that mean you're getting bored with us, honey?" he half-joked. "I know they say the first flush of love can fade after… seven months."

"You know we've been dating for seven months?"

"I know we've been dating for seven months, two weeks and three days, but I didn't want you to think I had stalker tendencies," Jacob replied smoothly.

Bella slid her arms around his neck as they swayed to the music, craning her neck for a kiss, which he happily obliged her with.

"I am so happy right now, Bells," Jacob said after breaking their long kiss. "I mean, seriously. I kind of feel guilty, like I've stolen all the happy in the world away from everyone else, because there's no way I should be able to feel this good." He pressed his lips to hers again, soft and yielding.

Bella fought against the primal moan she felt building up inside and pulled away gently. "I know exactly how you feel," she replied.

"You happy too, honey?"

"Deliriously. Which is just weird, because I'm at a prom." She felt herself smile against his cheek. "So it must be because of you."

Jacob stroked her hair and looked deeply into her eyes, his expression serious. "I-"

Suddenly, Bella felt eyes boring into her. Instinctively, she turned her head and saw Paul dancing with Kelly, staring at them in disbelief. Disbelief with a soupcon of anger.

Kelly followed his heated glare, and rolled her eyes. "Who cares, Paul? He's had a thing for that chick for, like, years."

Bella couldn't understand his reaction. He'd been positively entertained by the two of them that night he'd caught them getting to know each other a little better in the back of Jacob's Volkswagen Rabbit. Now he watching them as though they were some sort of grotesque puppetry act he couldn't tear his eyes from, however much he wanted to.

"Just ignore him," Jacob soothed. "I am, and it's easy. That's probably because you're the best distraction ever, though."

"I am, I am," Bella replied a little testily, forcing herself to focus on the other thirty-eight attendees who were either paying them no attention, or offering them smiles of acknowledgement as they too slow-danced in couples.

She felt Jacob's grip tighten around her waist and his hand caress her back. "Really, we can just go if you like. I hadn't really noticed Paul, but then everyone else kind of blurs like an out of focus shot when you're around," he said, kissing her gently on the lips.

Bella felt herself blush. "I hope you mean figuratively, not literally. I'd hate to be damaging your eyesight-"

Jacob burst out laughing at this, and wouldn't explain why, no matter how hard Bella jabbed him in the sensitive flesh above his hip bone.

"How dare he?" Suzi hissed to Quil. "It's bad enough, but they're so brazen about it!"

"Chill, Suzi," Quil replied. "They're for keeps. She completes him. I know that sounds really cheesy, but it's true."

"Oh, so you don't care?" Suzi was less discreet at this point, her indignation winning out. "He's the chief's son, and you don't care he's acting like he wants to marry that…" Bella didn't understand the word Suzi used, but from the horrified expression on Quil's face, he did. She felt Jacob tense in her arms, and he stopped dancing. His hands dropped to hers and squeezed them gently.

"Hold up, Bella. I'm going to have a little talk with Suzi," he said in fierce tones.

"Jake, please," Bella said, stroking his arm. "Let's just dance, hmm? I don't want to give her the satisfaction."

Jacob slowly relaxed, and pressed a kiss to Bella's forehead. "Sure thing, honey," he said and pulled her closer to him in an embrace that was part romantic, part protective.

"Take that back," Quil hissed at Suzi, his expression deadly serious.

"You're just as bad as him, Quil," Suzi snapped hotly.

Quil looked furious. "Jake's my friend; Bella's my friend. They're happy together. Just… just let it go," he said wearily.

Suzi stamped her delicate foot and glared at him. "It's a disgrace. My dad said so, and I agree! He's parading her around like our… our culture, our heritage, is just one big lame joke to him!"

"Quit it, Suzi. You're acting like an idiot," Quil snapped back.

"Yeah? Well, I only came with you because I wanted to go to the prom," she shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear. "You were the only guy enough of a loser not to have a date, okay? Don't get off telling me how I should act around your precious skinny little white girl!"

The room went silent. The music was still blaring, but nobody was listening to it. Enough of the students laughed that it was audible. Quil flushed scarlet, opening his mouth as though getting ready to hurl some vicious insults. Instead, he remained quiet and stormed out of the room.

Bella saw Paul sidle up to the indignant Suzi. "You were a total bitch just then," he whispered, almost appreciatively. "But well done. Someone had to say it."

Bella felt her stomach lurch a little at the venom in Paul's comment, but she did her best to hide it from Jacob, who held her so tightly it was as though he were acting as her human shield.

"What on Earth?" Emily was rushing over to the scene, Claire in her arms.

"Paul's right," Suzi insisted, gesturing in the direction of Bella and Jacob. "Those two, it's wrong. Someone had to say it."

"Nobody had to say anything," Emily remonstrated. "Jacob's girlfriend has just as much right to be here as you do. She was invited too, wasn't she?"

Suzi glared at the floor as though it had personally offended her. "S'pose," she muttered mutinously.

Emily kept trying to reason with the girl while Bella felt Jacob squeeze her tightly in his arms. "I'm so sorry, honey," he whispered into her hair. "I really didn't expect this. Everything had died down months ago."

"It's not your fault," she replied, leaning into the comforting warmth of his body. "Anyway, it's one girl. Most of the people here have been really nice to me."

In order to distract herself from the situation, Bella shifted her attention to Claire, who appeared to be a lot livelier than before, glancing at Suzi and the gym door.

"She seems chirpy," Bella mentioned to Jacob, who in turn began to watch the infant.

"All the drama's probably woken her up," he mused, just as Claire started tugging at the lid to her sippy cup. She eventually prised it off, and then, unbelievably, she looked across at Suzi, craning towards her while lifting the cup and slowly, she tipped the contents over Suzi's head.

Bella had never heard a girl scream so loudly.

"My hair! My dress!" she raged. It was no longer white satin, for it now had a large punch-coloured spill all the way down the front, her hair dripping with the purplish liquid, the ringlets ruined.

The vast majority of the students in the gym burst out laughing.

"Claire!" Emily scolded. "What… How did you…?"

Bella felt Jacob shake against her. He was laughing as silently as possible.

Claire looked perfectly pleased with herself.

"That," Embry said between hysterical laughter, "is one hell of a girl!"

Emily looked as though her nerves were slightly on edge, trying to explain to Claire how she had done a naughty thing when all Claire could do was giggle cutely. Leah and Sam were no help, for they were laughing more loudly than most of the pupils, clutching each other as they wept hysterical tears while watching from the other side of the hall.

"Would you like me to take her?" Jacob offered kindly, holding out his hands.

"Oh, thank you, Jake," Emily said in relief, handing the squirming toddler over to him with a look of sincere gratitude.

"We should go and find Quil," Embry said, Kim beside him nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, that was just cruel," she opined.

Jacob cradled Claire against his chest as she held onto his hair. "You coming, Bells?"

"Sure," Bella replied, partly because she was unwilling to be left alone in the school gym near Suzi and Paul, and partly so she could help Quil. She wasn't sure what she'd be able to do to console him, but she could at least thank him for standing up for her.

It didn't take them long to find Quil as he hadn't ventured far. He was sitting on a bench outside the gym building, his head in his hands.

"You okay, man?" Embry asked lightly, but quietly.

"Yeah, great," Quil mumbled from under his hands. "This is the best night of my life."

"Forget her," Kim advised sagely. "She's a stupid little bitch. At least you know now and not before you spent too much money on her."

Quil groaned and sat up. "I'm such an idiot!" he hissed, hanging his head as a harsh laugh escaped him. "I really thought she liked me."

Bella sat beside him and gave him a hug, one which Quil didn't return but didn't recoil from either.

"She's the idiot," Bella insisted. "And thanks for sticking up for me back there. You didn't have to, and it was really brave of you." She placed a tiny kiss to his cheek.

"Of course I had to," Quil replied with a smile. "You're my friend too, right? Friends stick up for each other. Anyway, Jake would kill me if I'd stood there and let her carry on. I'm not saying he'd always win in a fight, but he'd have the edge, what with the anger and all."

"Thanks, man," Jacob replied, wincing a little as Claire tugged at his ponytail.

Quil glanced up at him. "Hey, why have you got the squirt?" he asked, pointing at Claire, who had the ends of Jacob's ponytail in her hands.

"Oh, that…"

Everyone but Quil started to laugh, although Jacob stopped to say, "You really shouldn't eat that, trouble!" as Claire started sucking on his hair. She pouted as he took the ponytail out of her hands, but wriggled her nose and giggled when he tickled her nose with the end.

"Eww, tickly!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, this kid needs a 'Prom Hero' award," Jacob enthused. "I know we don't do those kind of things, but we should totally make an exception for her."

Claire seemed a little scared of what that might mean. "Aunt Emmy said… said I was naughty," she complained. At least, that's what Bella assumed she had tried to say.

"Well, kind of, but we thought it was cool. We'll get you something nice," Jacob assured her, having clearly come to the same conclusion as Bella. "Just don't tell Aunt Emmy, huh?"

"Why? What did she do?" Quil asked, and Jacob, Bella, Kim and Embry talked over each other to try and be the first to answer him.

Eventually, he got the message and couldn't stop laughing to the point where he was doubled up as though in pain. Claire started giggling too, apparently laughing at nothing except Quil himself.

"Wow. I guess I owe you one, kiddo," Quil said, looking at Claire. She reached out, trying to wriggle from Jacob's firm grip.

"I guess she wants to say hello," he said, sitting her down on the bench. Claire scrambled to her feet and toddled up to Quil, grabbing a fistful of his long hair in one tiny hand and leaning over to plant a face-bump of a kiss on his cheek.

"I guess at least you like me, huh, squirt?" Quil said, letting her grab his thumb with her free hand, the other still gripping onto his hair.

"Yeah," she replied shyly, looking down at her feet. "You're pretty."

Bella and Kim made a cooing sound at the same time Jacob and Embry laughed so loudly it made Claire jump and cling onto Quil.

"That's so cute!" Kim exclaimed, and Bella couldn't disagree.

Quil looked at Claire and smiled. "Tell you what, squirt? I've got a present for you." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a box.

Claire looked thrilled. "Box!" she exclaimed happily.

Quil's shoulders sagged with laughter as he tried to keep his posture. "No, kiddo, you have what's in the box, okay?"

Claire looked a little disappointed at this. Quil opened up the box and pulled out a silver coloured charm bracelet, with a pretty wooden flower charm attached, painted with swirling white patterns. Presumably it was supposed to match Suzi's dress. Bella instantly recognised the handiwork as Jacob's.

"Okay, so I was going to give this to that Suzi girl-"

"She's mean," Claire said, frowning.

"Yeah, she was. So I figured maybe you'd like it instead?"

"To mark your official title as 'Prom Hero'," Jacob added, and Claire seemed happy at this announcement. Quil had to hook the clasp so far up the bracelet that half of it dangled down Claire's wrist, but she seemed to like this even more, alternating between fingering the charm, then the trailing leftover bracelet. Jacob made a trumpeting noise with his lips and hands as though announcing her new title and then everyone cheered for no other reason than it seemed funny.

"Box?" Claire asked, eyeing the small white box.

Quil smirked. "Sure, squirt. Take it," he said, handing the unimpressive white cardboard box over to her. She seemed even more excited by this than the bracelet.

Suddenly, Jacob's cell phone rang with a series of tinny electronic beeps that were presumably supposed to be melodic. Claire jiggled around madly until he answered it, and then she looked disappointed.

"Hello?" Jacob said, pausing as he awaited a response. "Oh, hey Dad, what's up…? Yeah… Uh huh… I can be left alone in the house, you know, without running around with scissors and matches… Okay… Sure, sure… I'll see you tomorrow, then." He hung up.

"What's the matter?" Bella asked.

Jacob shrugged. "Nothing. Dad's been on some inter-tribe bonding evening, which is basically an excuse for him and the Makah chief to smoke a bunch and get drunk, so he's staying over at the Makah rez." He laughed. "For some reason he thinks I can't be left alone all night – like it's bothered him before…"

Bella glanced at him just as he glanced at her, their eyes met, and suddenly, Bella realised just why Billy didn't want to leave Jacob alone tonight, of all nights.

And it lodged the same idea firmly in her head.

* * *

They returned to the prom a short while later. Quil took Claire in his arms and promised to dance with her all evening.

"You're the classiest chick in the joint, squirt," he said, taking her hand between his thumb and forefinger, dancing her around while she beamed and jiggled.

"Dude, that's just weird. You're a teenage boy, not an old woman," Embry chided as he and Kim danced alongside them.

Quil shrugged. "Hey, my status as loser tonight has been fully cemented. This won't make any difference. Anyway, she's having fun, aren't you, squirt?"

Claire nodded in agreement.

Bella, wrapped in Jacob's arms, glanced over his shoulder and saw a group of rather attractive girls watching Quil intently, sighing dreamily as he doted on Claire. They certainly didn't seem to think he was a loser.

Soon after, Emily and Leah came up to them.

"Thanks so much for looking after her," Emily said.

"It's no problem," Quil replied.

"I'd better put her to bed," she explained. "She'll get cranky otherwise. Can I leave her at your place, Leah?"

"Sure," Leah replied. "If Dad's not around, just make sure Seth knows. He's supposed to be asleep, but he won't be."

Claire looked very cross at being hoisted away from Quil but tiredness won out, and she began to fall asleep on Emily's shoulder, still clutching at the charm on her bracelet and the white box it came in.

"Oh, and if he's watching porn on cable, you're allowed to smack him one. Dad said so."

"What, Seth?" Emily seemed both shocked and amused by this.

Leah rolled her eyes. "He swears he was trying to get the pay-per-view movie channel to watch some shit about penguins."

Emily laughed.

"Do you know what the really sad thing is?" Leah queried. "I believe him."

Once they said their goodbyes and Emily took a very sleepy Claire out of the gym, Leah tapped Bella on the shoulder.

"Hi. Bella Swan, right?" she asked, glancing at her appraisingly.

"Erm, yeah. Hi," Bella replied nervously.

Leah merely flashed her a friendly smile. "Look, I just wanted to, you know, apologise for the Suzi show." She jerked her thumb indiscriminately towards the dance floor. "The rest of us aren't morons, okay? She's just freaking out over some BS about tribal heritage, respecting the line. All that crap. I just wanted to let you know you were welcome here."

"I know," Bella replied. "Everyone else has been nice."

Leah laughed a little uncomfortably. "I know Sam and I weren't exactly helpful earlier. But in fairness, what Claire did was just about the funniest thing that has happened here all week."

"God, Leah, that's no excuse for shirking your sacred duty!" Jacob fumed, all sarcasm from the flash of humour in his eyes. "We could have found all the meth in Washington State and rubbed it on each other in a huge group orgy!"

Leah laughed at him, gently smacked him around the head. "Jake, there's no way you're that exciting," she retorted evenly.

Jacob pouted at her. "She's being mean to me, Bells," he said.

Bella shrugged. "You started it," she said with a cheeky grin. Jacob smiled carefully and started tracing delicate patterns up and down her neck with the lightest of touches. She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.

"You're my girl; you're supposed to stand up for me," he teased.

"You're my guy; you're supposed to not need it," she replied fuzzily.

"Stand up for me, or I'll stop," he joked. Bella glared at him.

"That's just mean," she pouted before adding, "Leah, stop being mean to him."

Leah grinned. "Just when I thought we were getting along."

"Oh, I like you," Bella replied. "I just like this more." She gestured towards Jacob's hand wandering around her neck and shoulders.

Leah nodded. "I understand. Believe me," she replied, her expression serious.

Jacob grimaced. "Thanks, Leah. I didn't need to know that."

She laughed. "I'm probably supposed to stop you," she acknowledged. "Seriously, the elders gave me and Sam this big list of what's acceptable and what's prohibited, and I swear I saw 'no kissing' somewhere; it's a prom, for God's sake!"

"I told you," Jacob insisted. "It'll only lead to a meth rubbing group orgy."

"Does your dad know you've got such a smart mouth?"

"Where do you think I get it from?" Jacob retorted with an angelic smile.

Leah shook her head. "Later, guys," she said and wandered across the hall, doing a good job of looking like she was keeping an eye on things.

The slow music kept playing, and Bella realised she and Jacob weren't even really dancing at this point; they were just holding each other closely. He was stroking tendrils of her hair from her face, occasionally kissing her forehead and the whole thing was ridiculously nice.

Until Paul ruined everything.

Bella saw him walk over to the DJ booth and whisper something to the DJ, who nodded nonchalantly and slipped another CD into the machine. Once the current song finished playing, he pressed a button, and a new song began to play. As soon as Bella heard Johnny Cash's voice, she knew what it was going to be.

"_I am stunned and I am broken and my head is in my hand; For she who said she love me will not wed an Indian man…"_

Jacob stopped in his tracks, his face darkened with fury.

"For fuck's sake!" He let go of Bella and stormed over to the DJ booth, where he had a brief, but nevertheless fruitful argument with the DJ, who swiftly changed the track to something less incendiary.

"Who does a DJ set at a high school prom and brings Johnny Cash CDs?" Kim mused to Bella, in a way that suggested she was trying to take her mind off everything. "He might as well have brought Radiohead albums and a bunch of razorblades…" She was utterly distracted by the shouting match that had begun.

So was everyone else in the gym.

"Right. You've got something to say, Paul? Just say it. Quit being such a pussy and just say it, right to my face!" Jacob was yelling and seething all at once, bristling with anger.

Paul had his hands in his pockets, his expression both furious and jeering. "Fine, I will. You've got a nerve, Black, a fucking nerve. It's bad enough you bring your…" there was that word again, the one Bella didn't know but knew had to be awful. "To the Junior prom, but you…" He stormed over to Bella and grabbed her left wrist roughly. "You make her this? Parade her around like you're fucking engaged?" He let go as though she might be contagious.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Jacob looked more furious than Bella had ever known.

"Please, I wouldn't touch her with yours— this isn't about her, Black. It's about you! You're taking everything you are, everything you're supposed to be to us, and pissing on it!"

Bella felt herself start to shake, and she took deep breaths, willing herself not to cry.

"We've got your back, Bella," Embry whispered to her, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.

"Do you think I'd have brought her here if I knew she was going to have to put up with this shit from you?" Jacob protested angrily. "Notice how I say 'you' and not 'everyone' because apart from that bitch in a training bra, you're the only one with a problem!"

"That doesn't excuse-" Paul didn't get a chance to finish.

"I love her!" Jacob shouted back. "I love her! I'm in love with her, and I want the whole goddamn world to know! Of course I made her a…" Another word Bella didn't know, but could at least assume meant 'promise bracelet' or something similar. She felt a strangely warm fuzzy feeling curl around her twisted guts, soothing her anxieties. Despite how awful the situation was, and that it wasn't quite how she'd imagined he'd tell her, he hadn't just told Bella he loved her; he'd told over forty people in his school gym. Some people had nightmares that consisted of doing entirely that.

"Just… just get bent, Paul," Jacob hissed, turning his back and walking over to Bella.

Paul said something, a full sentence in the Quileute language in which Bella possibly only knew the word 'promise bracelet', and then only to say, not to read or write.

Although she also picked out that one word which had been used a couple of times this evening to describe her.

A handful of the collected students gasped in horror. So it had been worse than that word.

Jacob's eyes widened; his expression frozen in abject fury.

Suddenly, he whirled around and punched Paul straight in the face, the sickening crack of fist meeting cartilage amplified in the gym hall.

Bella physically flinched at the sound.

"Whoa!" Embry gasped.

"Nice one, Jake!" Quil called out as Paul wiped blood from his face.

Chaos broke out. Paul lunged at Jacob, and the two of them crashed to the floor, punching and kicking at each other. Half the students crowded round them chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" as though they were at a wrestling match.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Bella tried to shout, but her voice sounded thin and reedy in her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kim rush towards her.

"It's okay, Bella," Kim said, hugging her. "Jacob's bigger than Paul, plus he's got the rage. He's bound to win."

"Okay? Okay! He's gone crazy!" Bella protested.

"Sam, do something!" Leah yelped, pushing Sam towards the fracas. Embry, Quil and Jared rushed over to help their respective wingmen, and Bella really wasn't sure whether they were trying to break them up or join in.

Eventually, Sam got between the two. "Hey, cool it, guys. Cool it!" he roared above the din, and Bella was surprised at the authority he carried in his voice.

The crowd backed away, and Bella could see that it had been a fairly one-sided fight. Jacob had Paul pinned to the floor, hands around his neck, genuinely looking like he wanted to throttle him. Paul looked shocked that he had come out of it so badly.

"Take. That. Back," Jacob panted.

Sam grabbed his shoulders. "Let him go, Jake," he said harshly. "Let him go!"

Reluctantly, Jacob relaxed his grip and stood up, leaving Paul on the floor.

"Get up," Sam ordered. "The two of you are going to come with me and calm the hell down, alright?"

They both mutinously consented, although Jacob looked across at Bella. His expression was deeply apologetic.

Bella didn't know what to think.

"It's okay, Jake. I'll take her back to my place, yeah?" Leah offered, putting her hand gently on Bella's shoulder. Jacob nodded, offering Bella an awkward, ashamed smile.

"You don't have to," Bella insisted.

"Yeah, we can look after her," Embry said, but Bella shook her head.

"I'll be fine. You guys stick around, enjoy prom. Or post-prom now, I guess."

"You're coming home with me, Bella," Leah insisted, taking Bella's hand and guiding her outside.

"Christ, he's such a prick!" Leah seethed as they walked along the street in the cool night air. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, Bella. Paul was just… I don't know what he was thinking!"

"I've never seen Jake like that before," Bella said quietly into the night air. Occasionally, he had got annoyed on her behalf or defended her. But this was something else. She didn't know if she felt scared for him or scared of him.

Leah merely smirked. "Me neither, and I've known the kid since he came squawking out of his mother." She must have seen the look on Bella's face, for she continued.

"That back there? I think he showed remarkable restraint."

"Restraint?" Bella was incredulous.

Leah shrugged. "If I'd have been him and heard that dick wipe say that about my girlfriend- sorry, about _my love_? He'd have been in the hospital before Sam had gotten me to let go."

Leah suddenly stopped dead in the street, staring at Bella.

"What?" Bella asked.

"I'm such an idiot," Leah whispered. "You have no idea what he said, do you?"

"Well, no," Bella replied. "They don't exactly teach the Quileute language as an elective in Forks High."

They stared at each other for a short while, neither of them moving.

"Well?" Bella coaxed.

Leah sighed heavily. "Do you really want to…?"

"Just tell me," Bella insisted. Leah nodded and walked more briskly, Bella lifted up her dress to keep pace.

"Fine, but this is because I know I'd want to know, so don't get mad, okay?"

"Okay."

"Rough translation, 'You want to fuck some white slut, go for it. They'll open their legs for anything. But don't parade her around here.' He might have said 'whore'; translation's never been my strong point."

Suddenly, Paul's behaviour all those weeks ago, when he caught Bella and Jacob _in_-sort of- _flagrante_, made sense. Of course he smirked and was impressed. Of course he gave Bella a sly smile and looked at her as though she was some sort of quarry. He thought Jacob was just taking what she was offering, getting the goods. Perhaps he even thought he might get some gory details and that they'd have a good laugh about it together.

Bella was surprised to find that she felt physically sick. She stopped, took a deep breath and tried to make the feeling subside. Then she noticed her hands were shaking.

"Hey," Leah said softly, putting her arm around Bella in a comforting manner, gently walking her forward. "Told you he was restrained."

They remained in silence until they reached the front door of a tiny, tidy house, a neater version of Jacob's. Leah opened the door and guided Bella in.

"Leah? Is that you?" a boyish voice whispered, coming from a skinny kid of around fourteen hovering round the door frame in boxer shorts and a t-shirt, nervously cork-screwing his foot against the carpet.

"Piss off, Seth," Leah hissed back.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Sam just phoned, Emily rushed out to help him with the prom. Why…" He stared at Bella, almost wildly. She looked away, the last thing she needed was this scrawny kid's mocking sniggers.

Except they never came.

Instead he looked at her, his eyes widened. "Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, seemingly genuinely concerned.

"Seth, I told you to-"

"She's shaking, Sis," he implored, before turning to Bella. "Can I get you anything? Water? Soda?"

"I'll deal with this. Go to bed," Leah insisted hotly as she guided Bella to a nearby armchair.

"Bella? What's going on?" the portly, grey-haired man sat in front of the television asked. Bella realised she knew him and felt stupid that she hadn't made the connection earlier, given Jacob had told her months ago.

"Hi, Harry," she said, sitting down, hugging her arms around her knees. "I…" She gave up trying to explain.

"Jake and Paul got into a fight," Leah explained. Harry chuckled.

"What, over Bella here? Her dad'll love that."

"Yeah, kind of, but not how you're thinking," Leah retorted. "Paul…"

Leah looked across at Bella, looked at her father, and began speaking in Quileute. Bella picked out the odd word she had heard from earlier and knew Leah was relaying the story to her father. She was relieved she didn't have to hear it all over again.

Seth suddenly appeared beside Bella with a glass of water. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "You look like you need it. I also got you a sweater. It's kind of cold in here."

"Thanks," Bella managed and sipped at the water while Seth tenderly slung the zip up sweater around her shoulders, before making himself comfortable on the arm of the chair. He gasped in horror when Leah repeated the words Bella had heard Paul throw at Jacob.

"He said what? What a douchebag!"

"Seth! Go to bed!"

Seth grumbled and made to move but didn't. Instead he keenly listened to the whole tale.

"So that's why Jacob is with Sam and not here," Leah finished.

Harry stared at her. "He broke Paul's nose?"

"Dad, he looked like he was going to kill him."

"Well, good for him," Harry said, winking at Bella who smiled uneasily. As pleased as she was that Jacob stood up for her, she wasn't sure Harry should be so proud of him for it.

"Of course he would," Seth announced proudly. "He wouldn't let anyone say something that nasty to his girlfriend and get away with it… Oh, wow, he made you a promise bracelet!"

Without asking, Seth reached over and took Bella's hand, examining the bracelet.

"Nice. He's good at that sort of thing, though. Did he tell you what the bands mean?"

Without prompting, Seth started explaining how one thread represented her, another represented Jacob, bits and pieces about love and friendship and caring and never stopping which both elated and terrified Bella.

He tilted his head to one side and examined her curiously. "You're very pretty, in an exotic sort of way," he decided with not a trace of embarrassment. "And you really like him, huh?"

"Yeah, but what makes you say that?"

"Your smile. When I told you about the bracelet, you had the biggest smile."

"I guess I did," Bella replied.

"So, do you go to Forks High, then?"

"Seth! Bed, now!"

"But, Dad!" Seth made the word sound like it consisted of three syllables.

"Bella came here for some peace, not to be hounded by you."

"It's okay, Harry," Bella said. "Really. It's helping me take my mind off things."

So she answered Seth's cheerfully inane questions about her school and whether there were any cute girls there and if they had to study calculus and so on until Harry practically chased him out to his bedroom.

Leah pulled across a chair from the kitchen and sat on it back to front, leaning across the back with her arms draped over the top like those famous photos that have been copied by every aspiring sex symbol. Bella thought Leah could probably pull it off, too, if she were so inclined.

"Sorry about my brother," she said, Harry safely out of earshot tending to Seth. "He's a pain in the ass."

"He's sweet," Bella countered.

Leah snorted. "I guess I can see how you could think that. Try living with him for fourteen years." She shook her head. "Anyway, he's heard about you and has been dying to see you. Seriously, he's been so curious about the girl who stole the heart of the great Jacob Black." Leah's voice could not have been more disdainful. Bella must have looked bewildered, because Leah continued. "My brother idolises Jake. I have no idea why."

"Hey, Jake's a nice guy," Bella protested.

"No, I'm being serious. It's not like Jake's rescued his puppy from a house fire, or single-handedly raised the money to buy him a new internal organ, or whatever." She laughed. "I guess it doesn't take much to be a hero in a place like this."

She rested her head on her arms. "For a while I thought maybe it was… you know, something else."

"What do you mean?"

Leah kept her voice low. "I mean like, an infatuation, you get me?"

Bella formed a silent 'oh' with her lips, nodding.

"It's not," Leah confirmed. "Trust me, I've done my research. He's straight, surprisingly. He just inexplicably worships the ground Jake walks on." She paused, frowned. "I'd almost like to get some psychologists in, study him and find out. It's maddening."

Bella smiled and put her empty glass down.

"Jake really is a good guy," Leah voiced suddenly.

"I know."

"Yeah, but you seemed a little freaked by what happened."

"I'm not." Bella sighed. Leah was looking at her with a knowing expression.

"Okay, I am, a tiny bit," she confessed. "I know why he did it now; it's just, I've never seen that side of him before."

"Bella, forget that. You know that's not him. What _is_ him is telling a group of kids, some of whom either believe, or have parents who believe, that as the next Quileute Chief he should settle down with some nice tribe girl to preserve our lineage, that he loves _you_. The white chick. Like, 'till death do us part' kind of love. Paul knew exactly what he was doing; he just didn't expect goody-two-shoes Jake to hand his ass to him. And he did that because he wanted to protect your honour, right? A sixteen year old boy just took on all his peers, the people he's going to be responsible for one day, for you." She shook her head. "Maybe Seth's got a point."

Bella couldn't help but smile.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Leah got up and answered it. Bella could hear Jacob's voice, timid and anxious.

"Is she here?"

"Hi, Leah. Nice to see you. How are things? Oh, I'm fine, Jake. It's been pretty quiet since leaving…"

"Sorry, Leah. I just—"

"She's here."

"Does… Does she want to see me?"

"I'll ask."

Leah returned to where Bella was sitting, an amused look on her face. "Bella, do you want to see your boyfriend?" she asked.

"Of course!" Bella replied. Leah nodded and went back to the door, where Bella could hear her voice.

"Yes, Jake. She wants to see you. She's just about forgiven you for sticking up for her in front of your entire class." The words were drenched in sarcasm.

Bella stood up as Jacob rushed into the room.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," he said, wearing a confusing expression of pain, remorse, relief and happiness. Bella felt guilty for doubting him, even for a moment.

"It's not your fault," Bella said firmly. "Leah kind of told me what Paul said. She and Harry think you did the right thing."

"Paul deserved it, and I'm not sorry about handing it to him," he admitted. "But I am sorry I lost it. I never meant to upset you, Bells, by making you see that."

"You didn't upset me, Jake. Paul gets that honour to himself," Bella said, stepping towards him and pulling him into a hug, one he gratefully reciprocated.

"I'm also sorry I messed up tonight," he said, with a small unhappy laugh, tracing his fingers along the bands of Bella's promise bracelet. "I'm not doing very well with my promise, huh?"

"Hey, it was pretty good fun up until Paul was…"

"A dick?" Leah offered. Jacob smirked.

"Yeah, that'll do." He let go of Bella and took her hand in his. "You want to go?"

"Sure," Bella replied.

Jacob nodded towards Leah. "Thanks, Leah."

"It's cool. Later, Jake," she said, stifling a yawn. "Any idea when Sam's coming back?"

Suddenly, she sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging. "Of course. post-prom. Damn it! I'll catch you guys later, I have to go and protect the junior year's innocence," she muttered, grabbing her jacket and rushing out of the door.

* * *

Bella and Jacob walked hand in hand back up to the school, Bella wearing Jacob's jacket to shield her from the cooling night air.

"I think Sam was angrier with Paul. Like, a lot angrier. I don't think he was sure how he felt about me. He was kind of disappointed and impressed all at once." Jacob shrugged, sighed. "Anyway, me and Paul have got to go to some tribe meeting on Monday to discuss our punishment. We'll probably have to do something to bond and give back to the community. I'm guessing we'll be fixing up the kindergarten play area." Jacob didn't seem to mind this.

They reached his car and stood by it, holding each other's hands.

"So, now what?" Bella asked. Jacob looked up into the night sky.

"Well, the others will be at the beach, we could join them," he suggested. "Or, if you just want to go home, I can drive you back-"

"The night is still young, Jake," Bella said, with a teasing grin.

"Or…" Jacob looked at the floor, as though debating whether he should suggest it.

"Go on."

"Well, my dad's at the Makah rez. We'd have the place to ourselves. I could fix up some music, and we could finish the prom like we were supposed to, last dance and goodnight kisses." He grinned. "We could even make out in my car. It'll be like some cheesy teen movie."

Bella stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "I like the sound of that," she said as Jacob unlocked the car and held the door open for her to get in.

"Still with the chivalry?"

"The prom isn't over yet, remember?"


	10. Chapter Nine: Petite Mort

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella discovers something new while Jacob has the best twenty-four hours of his life thus far.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Confettirainfall and thejmeyer.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Petite Mort**

Jacob's house was eerily dark and quiet. He fumbled for the light switch in the living room just as Bella almost fell into him, tripping up on something in the hall. She swiftly came to the conclusion that it had been her own feet.

"You want a drink?" Jacob offered as Bella sat down on the loveseat, his jacket still slung over her shoulders.

"Sure, what have you got?"

He went into the kitchen. "Umm, milk, soda, water and coffee— instant," he called, his head in the fridge. He sniffed at the milk and recoiled. "Forget the milk. And the coffee, unless you like it black," he said, dropping the carton in the trash.

She settled on a soda, and Jacob brought it to her in a clean, tall glass.

"Hey, I'm pulling out all the stops tonight, remember?" he said with a grin, seeing Bella's vaguely surprised expression. She took the glass with a thank you as Jacob sat next to her on the small loveseat.

"Oh, almost forgot," he said, getting up again and fiddling with the nearby stereo. He picked up a channel playing something reasonably slow and contemporary, turning the volume low before sitting back down next to her. He raised his glass.

"To us?" he offered before grimacing. "Sorry, that was so cheesy."

"To us," Bella agreed clinking her glass gently against his.

She sipped at her drink before scanning Jacob's face carefully. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Did you get hurt?"

"Me? Nah, but I think I'll wind up with a few bruises tomorrow," Jacob admitted before taking a gulp of soda. He scrutinised her carefully. "Are _you_ okay?" he asked, tucking his finger under her chin and tilting her face up to his.

"Huh?"

"Did _you_ get hurt? He was… I still can't believe he said—"

"I'm fine," Bella insisted, leaning against the back of the loveseat and taking his hand in hers. She smiled uneasily. "I had a brave, strong man in my corner, right?" she said; half teasing, half questioning. Wondering just how he would react.

Jacob smiled but winced a little. "You know, I've not gotten into that many fights in my life."

"I can believe that," Bella replied. "It's something I like about you."

"Good," Jacob said, clearly relieved. "I don't want to be that guy who cracks his knuckles every time someone looks at you funny. It was just… _that_ was too much." He affectionately squeezed her hand in both of his. "I really love you, Bella, and I guess I kind of want to protect you. I just don't want to be a dick about it, either."

"Jake, it's okay," Bella said. "I'll admit I was freaked out when you went all 'Hulk' on Paul." She sighed heavily. "But then Leah told me what he said. Is it wrong that I'm kind of pleased you broke his nose?"

Jacob sniggered. "Probably, but it's not as wrong as actually doing it, right?"

"So, I guess we're both in the wrong," Bella replied. "That's good. I like the equality we have in our relationship."

Jacob nodded, stood up and offered his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked.

Bella grinned, and glanced towards the stereo. A very different song was playing compared to the previous one. "Seriously? To _'Rock You Like a Hurricane'_?" she asked.

Jacob shrugged. "To be honest, I wasn't paying that much attention to the music."

Bella took his outstretched hand and stood up, stepping close to him and swaying as best she could to music that in no way fitted how they were trying to dance, intimate and tenderly, her small hand in his large one, her other hand gripping onto his shoulder. Jacob's other hand found its way to the small of her back, his fingers stroking the bare skin, tucking under the criss-crossing ribbon there.

Gently, he let go of her hand and trailed his fingertips along her arm, making her skin tingle deliciously before he cupped her face and leant in to kiss her, no words, just action. Bella let her free hand reach for his back and pulled herself as close to him as she could get, savouring his deepening kisses, the way he tasted on her lips, the groan of pleasure he made inside her mouth as her hand slid down and toyed with grabbing his butt.

Suddenly, as though a floodgate had just been opened, Jacob's hand slipped right down to her butt from the small of her back, and he squeezed her gently, pulling her closer, just as the hand at the back of her neck slid over her shoulder, down to her breasts. He soon gave up on that and pressed it to her back instead, crushing her against him.

"Bella," he murmured as his lips left hers and started to blaze a trail along her neck.

She heard herself sigh longingly as he nipped at a particularly sensitive patch of skin. Without thinking, she dug her nails into his left buttock.

Jacob pulled away, cradling her face in both his hands. He was pink-cheeked; his eyes glittered, but his expression was deeply serious.

"I want to make love to you, Bella." He said this so quickly that Bella had to get him to repeat it.

"I want to make love to you, Bells," he whispered carefully, his eyes on hers. "I want to undress you, touch you… everywhere. I want you to—"

He broke off and averted his eyes as though he had done something terrible by saying too much. Bella pressed her hand to his jaw, tilting his head up slightly and forcing him to look at her.

"_I_ want you to," she whispered back, smiling. "I mean, we've got this whole house to ourselves; you're looking particularly hot in formal wear…" She trailed off, feeling blood rush to her cheeks.

Still cradling her face, Jacob pressed a delicate kiss to her lips.

"Give me five minutes," he said before rushing out of the living room.

"Why? What are you doing?" Bella called after him.

"Making my room a Bella-friendly zone," he shouted back as Bella heard dull, heavy scraping and clanking. More odd noises emanated from along the hallway while Bella paced across the living room, suddenly feeling a little nervous. She knew she wanted this; her body sang with it, and her head kept whispering, _"Why haven't we done this sooner, Isabella Marie Swan?"_ because it used her full name when it chided her.

"_Are you sure about this?"_ it also probed. _"You know he won't think any less of you if you don't… but he might do if you go all the way."_

"_No, he won't,"_ another part of her brain argued. _"He loves her. He said so. Were you even there?"_

"_Of course I was there, idiot. But guys will say anything to get into a girl's panties… and brag about it afterwards."_

"_Please, Jake isn't like that, and you know it."_

"_Has he got condoms? Because I know she doesn't."_

"_Quil and Embry wondered where part of their sex ed stash had gone? Have you forgotten him talking about his trip to the drug store that took him on a two hour drive so he could buy them anonymously? Anyway, she's on the Pill!"_

"_You know no contraception is one hundred percent effective."_

"_Yes, but plenty of people have protected sex all over the world, all the time, and they don't all get pregnant. It's got to work enough. Anyway, have you been paying attention for the past seven months? He's gorgeous! Are you honestly telling me you don't want to see him naked, touch all that unexplored skin, feel him inside—"_

"_Of course I don't. How dare you!"_

"_Liar." _That particular voice was somewhat triumphant.

Jacob rushed into the living room, looking pink with exertion.

"Nearly ready, honey," he said, squeezing her hand. He stopped suddenly and looked at her with concern. "You okay?" he asked, stroking her face tenderly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bella replied, avoiding his gaze in the hope that her sudden attack of nerves wouldn't show.

Jacob smiled kindly at her. "Liar."

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "It's just… I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know if I'll change my mind—"

Jacob took one on her hands in his and cupped her face with the other. "You can back out at any time, right? Any time at all. Even if we're, you know, doing it already. Jacob Black's own special contract, in triplicate, signed in my own blood." He laughed gently. "I'm not saying it'll be easy once we're—"

"I know," Bella replied. "I want this, really." She looked at the floor. "I guess I just want to know where the emergency exits are."

Jacob grinned sheepishly. "Okay. In case of emergency, punching my balls generally makes me stop everything."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Well thanks, Jake. I'll be sure to bear that in mind."

Jacob kissed her lips gently but with some heat. "You know I love you," he said. "So, this means something to me. This means a lot to me, actually, so I want you to be happy."

Bella could only nod as what little doubts she had melted away.

"_Alright,"_ the tiny reluctant part of her brain huffed. _"You've convinced me."_

Jacob kissed her again, smiled and dashed to the kitchen, returning with three lanterns and some tea lights.

"What are they for?" Bella asked.

"I've been doing my homework," he said, blushing. "Candles are supposed to be good for setting the mood and all that. But being a household of guys, this is the best I can do."

"Homework?" Bella called, but Jacob had already ducked out of the room; the cacophony of clattering suggesting he was still hard at work. She took out her cell phone from the clutch bag she had discarded on the coffee table and dialled.

"Chief Swan," Charlie grunted down the phone.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hey, Bells. How was prom?"

"Good, thanks."

"Really? Wow, bet you weren't expecting that."

Bella laughed. "No, I wasn't. Listen, would it be okay if I stayed round Jake's tonight? I'm pretty beat, and Billy doesn't mind." She omitted the _"because he doesn't know," _part.

"No problem, kiddo. Is he there?"

Bella panicked. "Erm, he's kind of gone to bed," she lied. "I could get Jake to wake him—"

"Don't worry about it," Charlie replied; Bella could hear him stifle a yawn. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, Dad."

Just as she ended the call, Jacob bolted back into the living room, hovering next to Bella.

"You… You ready?" he asked nervously.

Bella took his hand. "Definitely," she replied, letting him lead her along the hall to his bedroom. She noticed, with some surprise, a small wooden bed frame leaning against the hallway.

"Jake?"

"I didn't think it was big enough for the both of us," he explained, gesturing for her to enter his room first.

The curtains were drawn, for Bella knew Jacob's bedroom overlooked public land. The lanterns were set up around the room with tea lights inside, throwing light against the walls that flickered softly and enhanced shadows. He had taken down all his posters that had girls anywhere on them. On the floor was what looked like a very low double bed, but Bella swiftly recognised it to be two mattresses wrapped in bed sheets with a large cottony quilt and pillows.

She felt Jacob lift her hand and bring it to his lips. "Shall I… should I shut the door?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

She heard the door shut quietly and turned to see Jacob carefully turning the handle as though any loud noise would result in chaos.

He stood there against the door for a moment before stepping tentatively towards her, hastily kicking some magazines towards the closet but not before Bella had seen the titles: 'Cosmopolitan', 'Marie Claire', 'Men's Health'.

So that's what he had meant by doing his homework. The boy had gathered every sexual advice article from the last five years, and Bella began to wonder what she was getting herself into.

"You look really beautiful," he said quietly, reaching for her hair pins. "Can I undo it?" he asked. Bella nodded, feeling as though she was holding her breath as he took out pin after pin, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders and down her back. He watched her, entranced, before dropping the pins onto his dresser and running his fingers through her hair, kissing her hairline near the temple.

He flinched suddenly, grimacing. "Ew, I ate hairspray!" he said, running his tongue over his teeth in an attempt to get rid of the taste.

Bella burst out laughing. "Sorry, Jake. It had to stay up there somehow, right?"

Jacob started laughing too. It seemed to break the tension somehow as once they had calmed down, he reached in to kiss her, deep and probingly, hands fluttering through her hair, on her back, touching her arms. It was careful and tender, just as Bella's gentle caresses across Jacob's back and neck were. He carefully unhooked her necklace, the one he had made her as a birthday present, and placed it on the dresser, resuming his exploration of her almost instantaneously.

"I… I want… I'd like to take that dress off you," Jacob managed to stammer out, between kisses, as they pressed against each other.

"I'd like you to take this dress off me," Bella insisted. "It's getting really hot in here."

She could feel him harden against her just as he reached behind her back and started to pull at the bow.

"It's a double knot," Bella warned him. He nodded and started to pull at bits of the ribbon with his fingers.

"Damn, who did this up, your dad?" he grunted. "It was definitely someone who didn't want me to get into it."

He stepped behind her and knelt down, using a combination of his teeth and fingers to prise the knot undone. Bella felt the bodice start to slacken around her as he deftly loosened the criss-crossing ribbon.

"Wow, it's like I'm unwrapping a present or something," he said, pulling down at it.

"There's a zipper at the back, too," Bella advised when she felt the fabric around her hips lodge.

"Oh. I see. Thanks," he replied, and Bella heard the scratching of metal against metal just as she felt the dress slip down her body. Instinctively, she grabbed it and held it around herself as Jacob got to his feet and stood in front of her.

"Bella," he whispered, reaching for her hands. "I want to see you."

Too nervous to do the job herself, she let Jacob take her hands away, and the dress fell to the floor, pooling around her feet. He stepped back momentarily, and Bella could feel him looking her up and down, drinking her in.

"Oh, wow," he breathed. "Wow." His hand reached to tuck her hair over her shoulder, trailing so gently down over the hollow of her throat, between her breasts and to her stomach that she barely felt it.

But she felt it. Her body ached for more.

"You're so, so gorgeous," he whispered into her ear as he pulled her close to him. "And I'm so, so scared right now." He managed a nervous laugh at this.

"Scared? Why?" she asked, pressing her hand to his cheek. He held it there, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I don't want to disappoint you, Bella," he said, glancing away. "This is my first time, and I've been waiting for this, you know? I want to be good for you. So, I told you I did my homework, and it was mainly through my sister's old copies of_... _well, nothing at all to do with the stuff I tried to hide under the closet." He took a deep breath. "And it's all about G-spots and P-spots and multiple orgasms and blended orgasms and… and I could die happy right this second just because you're standing in front of me almost naked, you know?"

Bella pressed a kiss to his throat. "It's my first time. too," she replied. "I'm nervous. But as long as it's with you, I'm happy as well, okay?"

He hugged her tightly, and Bella felt hyper aware of the cotton of his shirt, the silk of his cummerbund, against her bare skin.

"See, this is why I love you so much," he said, kissing the top of her head and presumably avoiding any hairspray.

She smiled and ran her hands over his shirt. "Now we appear to have a problem," she said.

"Hmm?" Jacob looked at her, tickling her nose with his.

"Well, I'm standing here in my panties and stockings—"

"And heels. Don't forget the heels," Jacob added breathlessly. She smiled wickedly at his reaction.

"Right, but you've got far too many clothes on. You should be taking them off," she pointed out, untying his bow tie and sliding it away from his collar, tossing it onto the dresser. "Or, I should be taking them off," she added as her fingers worked at the buttons on his shirt.

"Maybe both of us could work on that," Jacob suggested, hastily undoing his cummerbund and throwing it over his shoulder. By the time Bella had got his shirt off and it lay on the floor with her dress, he stopped her.

"Hold on, Bells," he said. "I'd better sort out the sneakers and socks before they ruin everything."

Bella sat down on the makeshift bed, rolled onto her front and propped herself up on her elbows, watching as he bent down, untying his shoelaces and kicking off one sneaker, then another. He pulled his socks off quickly and stuffed them into the shoes before standing up to his full height and staring at her, leaning against the wall.

"What?" Bella asked, feeling a little embarrassed. Jacob smiled so widely she thought it might stretch past his face.

"You look like the best pin-up I've ever seen," he enthused. "I'm taking a memory picture of you."

"A memory picture?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't ask you for a real one; not that you couldn't trust me with it, but I'm kind of worried it could fall into the wrong hands, given how many people are round here sometimes. So, I'm taking a memory picture. I'm memorising every single tiny detail I can about you lying there, your hair over your boobs, the way your legs are kicking up in the air, your smile, your blush."

She could practically feel his eyes rake over her slowly, deliberately. It felt surprisingly good.

"And who told you to stop undressing?" Bella teased. "It sure as hell wasn't me."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, his eyes still on her as he unzipped his pants and slid them down his legs, leaving them in the pile of formal wear on the floor.

"Everything, honey?" he queried, smiling.

Bella nodded slowly and bit her lip. "Everything," she reiterated.

"Damn, you're so sexy when you do that," he whispered, pulling his black boxer briefs off, exposing himself fully.

"I like what I'm seeing," she said encouragingly, pulling herself to a kneeling position as he crouched down to clamber onto the bed with her. It was no word of a lie, he was firm and muscular as she had expected, but he looked tactile, his skin was smooth and relatively hairless except for the more intimate areas, and although the hanging scrotum and rigid cock that seemed to follow her around like the eyes of a painting was going to take some getting used to, it was by no means a bad thing.

He knelt beside her and brushed her hair behind her shoulders, exposing her breasts, before leaning in to kiss her, his hands caressing every bit of flesh they could find. Bella undid the leather tie holding his hair in a ponytail, and his hair splayed over his back. She let her hands wander over his chest, around his back, across his shoulders, just enjoying the moment. She ducked her head and started kissing him all over, his breathless panting and fingers threading affectionately through her hair a good indicator that he enjoyed her meanderings.

"Hmm, it seems you're less naked than me now," Jacob mused after a while.

"So I am."

"We can't have that."

"Can't we?" Bella teased him by pulling suggestively at the hip band of her panties but shrieked with surprise and amusement when Jacob grabbed her by the waist and flipped her onto her back.

"No," he said, hitching her leg across his chest so her foot was pointing to the ceiling. She giggled uncontrollably as he unbuckled the strap of her heels, slipping the shoe off her and letting it drop to the floor.

Bella squealed and squirmed as he ran his thumb up and down the arch of her foot, unable to suppress her giggles.

"So, I'm not the only ticklish one, huh?" he mused playfully before tilting his head down and sucking her toes firmly, causing her to shudder and curl her toes involuntarily.

Then came the kisses, his lips stroking against the ball of her foot, the arch, her ankle, her calf, the crook of her knee, the inside of her thigh, stopping where the top of the thigh-high met flesh. All the while, his eyes hardly left hers.

He tucked the fingers of one hand under the top of her thigh-high and tugged at the toe end with the other, slowly peeling the nylon away before letting it fall out of his hand and onto the floor. His hand trailed down her leg back to her foot, before he let it slip back down to the bed, and he lifted her other leg, repeating the action unhurriedly. It drove Bella crazy.

"Stop teasing me," she moaned as her other thigh-high dropped to the floor. Jacob leant forward and kissed her hungrily on the lips.

"But, a horny Bella is my most favourite thing in the world," he protested, hands at her panties, sliding them off as she twisted her hips to make it easier. She felt herself blush as he took in her naked body, his hand stroking her face, then her belly.

"Jake…"

He kissed her lips, her neck, started lavishing attention on her breasts. She writhed on the bed as he ran his tongue around her nipples, sucked them and then blew cold air onto them as they glistened.

"Jake, please—"

"Say it, honey," he urged, his lips against her belly now. "I want you to say it. I love it when you tell me—"

"Make love to me right now," she demanded, surprised at the forcefulness in her voice.

His sinful smile made her stomach flip.

"Hold on, Bells," he said, getting up and fumbling in the bottom drawer of his dresser, unwrapping a condom as he knelt back onto the bed. Once the packaging was off, he examined it carefully.

"Okay, this looks the right way around—"

"Here, let me help," Bella offered, crawling onto her knees on the bed in front of him, feeling her thighs slick against each other.

"I'm pinching the tip," he said, holding the sheath in place. Silently, Bella rolled it down the shaft to the base.

"That feels pretty secure," she said. "I think."

"Yeah, I think we're good to go." Jacob looked down at himself and laughed. "And I think I just killed the mood."

"No, you didn't," Bella breathed, snaking her hand around the back of his neck, tangling in his hair, kissing him as he held her and lowered her down onto the bed. She let her legs splay out as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Jacob stopped suddenly, his hand resting on her thigh and his expression displaying mild bewilderment.

"Can you help me out here, honey?" he asked awkwardly. "I need to, you know, guide it in."

They both looked at each other and laughed, partly through enjoyment, partly through sheer terror. Then, in an action Bella couldn't quite believe she was doing in front of another person, she slid her hand between her legs and exposed more of herself than she had previously thought possible. Jacob's fingers brushed against her as he gingerly pushed inside her. She grabbed the quilt with her free hand as the sensation washed over her, then winced with discomfort. Jacob froze, as though he were playing musical statues and someone had hit the pause button.

"Honey? Oh, God. Are you okay?" Jacob whispered, his hand stroking her hair, his expression one of horror.

"Yeah, it just… It's kind of supposed to hurt the first time, I think."

"That can't be true, otherwise nobody would keep doing it," Jacob insisted. "Do you want to…? I'll try again."

He carefully pulled back, then went again more slowly. She hissed again as it stung her slightly, and he stopped dead.

"Bella, I'm so sorry!"

"Maybe it's the going slow?" she suggested, taking a deep breath. "Maybe you should just, you know, go for it."

"You sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm a big girl, Jake. I can take it."

"That sounded like the worst exploitation porno ever—"

"I trust you, Jake. I know you'll stop if it doesn't work."

"Do you want me to, I don't know, count you in? Or should I go without warning you? Like ripping off a plaster?"

"On three, yeah?"

"Sure."

"One… Two… Three!"

Bella yelped in pain as he thrust deeply. He stopped, propping himself steady on his arms.

"Shit! Bells?" He withdrew instantly and looked scared.

"It's okay, Jake."

They looked at each other and managed to share a comforting smile.

"Do you want me to stop?" Jacob suggested.

Bella shook her head. "No. Damn it, everyone else in the world has sex!" she insisted, pouting like a child who had been denied an ice-cream.

Jacob took one look at her and burst out laughing. Bella found herself giggling at him in turn.

"Maybe we should try a different angle?" Jacob suggested once they had calmed themselves. "Try lifting your hips a bit."

Bella complied, and Jacob took one of the pillows and placed it under the small of her back.

"Lean back, honey," he whispered, as she sank into the soft pillow. He didn't tell her he was going to try again; he just slowly slid inside her.

This time, Bella was sure that was how it should feel. Like the funny lurching feeling in your stomach when the roller coaster makes a sudden drop, only deeper and hotter, an itch tantalisingly close to being scratched. She moaned with pleasure.

"That working for you, huh?" Jacob panted, his forehead etched with the creases of intense concentration.

"Uh huh," Bella managed to gasp as she bucked her hips to meet his thrusts, their lips meeting messily as they tried to synchronise rhythm and kiss at the same time, sharing giggles when they slipped up.

She gripped onto his back, feeling his weight press against her comfortingly and his hair tickling against her while he whispered formless words against her skin. Her glance wavered from his face, the flickering shadows intensifying everything about him, towards the mirror on his dresser. She could see their movements, the speed and force increasing every second, his buttocks clenching as she grabbed roughly, inexpertly, at them with one hand.

"Bella…"

Her eyes shot back to his; her stomach flip-flopped at the way his eyes glittered in the dim light, but she barely noticed as the friction started to build, every movement more intense as she began to slowly melt from the inside out.

Suddenly, Jacob groaned and came to a stop, his hips trembling. Bella recognised the look on his face; she had seen it before in the back of his Rabbit.

"Damn it! Sorry, Bells," he murmured, resting his head against the crook of her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I tried really hard not to, but…" He trailed off, tentatively raising his head to look at her, his expression a mixture of shame and guilt.

"It's okay, baby," Bella reassured him, cradling his head in her hands. "It was good. It felt really good."

He kissed her gently, traced his finger along her nose tenderly. "I wanted it to be more than good for you, honey," he admitted.

She kissed him, doing her best to ignore the want she felt deep in her bones, when he smiled against her lips.

"We could try again, later," he offered, sitting up, his hands loosely holding hers. "I'm usually, you know, ready again pretty quickly."

"Sure, babe," she replied languidly, letting him trail his fingers up her arm and over the damp skin of her collar bone, as she reached out to stroke his hair from his face. He looked her up and down, her legs still spread wide and the kernel of an idea seemed to form, judging by the triumphant grin creeping across his face.

"Of course," he said huskily, "I'll have to keep you occupied until then."

Pressing heated kisses along her body, down to her belly, Bella stroked his hair, holding him tightly and drinking in the intimacy until she realised, in shock, he was right between her legs, his hands holding her thighs steady.

"Jake, what are you doing?" she asked, sitting up suddenly.

"Lie back down, honey," he said soothingly. "Let me take good care of you."

She flopped back against the bed, covering her face with her hand as she giggled nervously. "I can't believe you're just staring at my… bits," she exclaimed, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment.

Jacob looked up and beamed. "They're lovely," he insisted. "I like staring at them."

"Jake! You know that's really weird-"

Then Bella felt his lips, his tongue, teasing against her, and she thought she might just die on the spot, aching for more when he pulled away.

"Was that-?"

"Oh, God, don't you dare stop!" she moaned, fisting his hair in her hands.

She heard him chuckle as he caressed the insides of her thighs with his thumbs. "Thank you, 'Cosmo'," he enthused before returning to his original task with gusto, driving Bella out of her mind as the ecstasy started to build deep down inside her. She involuntarily ground her hips against him, hazily wondering why the centre of the universe had suddenly positioned itself between her legs as she slipped them over his shoulders. He grinned at that, and she felt it; she felt every tiny thing he did against her.

Suddenly, he pulled away, and Bella heard herself moan, a two-syllable noise of disappointment.

"I'm here, honey. I'm here. I'm just going to try something," he soothed, brushing his thumb against her in those familiar delicate circles while leaning over and grabbing another condom. Her fingers slipped out of his hair, and she ended up sliding her hands against the covers, feeling the fabric against her skin. She watched through half-closed eyes as Jacob tried to get the packaging open with one hand. Wordlessly, she propped herself up a little on one arm, a little sigh of pleasure escaping her lips as she shifted position against his ceaseless touch, offering her trembling free hand in assistance.

Between them, they guided each other together again, Bella sinking into the feeling as Jacob leant forward and pressed a messy, odd tasting kiss to her lips.

"Is this good, honey? It seems like it is—"

"Oh, yes. Oh _God_ yes!" Bella hooked her right leg around his hip, pulling him closer, the other slipping off the bed, her hands busy roaming every square inch of Jacob's bare flesh she could find, fisting his hair. He moved his hand from his endless circling, lifted her leg back up.

"Jake!"

"It's okay, honey, I'm back," he gasped, moving his hand back to that familiar rhythm of increasing intensity while they thrust together, messily, asynchronously, then matching pace, matching each other.

"Honey," he panted loudly, over and over. "Honey, you're amazing…"

When it happened, Bella screamed, actually screamed words she couldn't recall and didn't care about as her whole nervous system, after coiling up and coiling up, seemingly snapped, spiralling out into loose threads she didn't want to pull back together. Not yet.

She pulled his hand away from her, unable to take the pressure of his circling thumb anymore, and interlaced her fingers with his, the slickness of her body sticky against her hand as he pressed it gently against the bed. They kept crushing together in the midst of her afterglow, her body slow burning from the sensation until, shuddering and with a primal moan, he collapsed onto her.

He held her, she held him, wrapped tightly in each other's arms, quivering against each other.

"Wow," Jacob managed after gazing into her eyes for forever. "Wow."

"Yeah," Bella replied, which took her the kind of effort debating health care might have. Her hands caressed his back, damp with sweat, just as he brushed her wet hair away from her face with his hand.

"That was…" Jacob laughed. "I'm shaking!"

"Me too," she replied, giggling as he disengaged and discarded the second condom of the evening before lying on the bed with her, side to side and facing each other. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, and the two lay with their noses pressed delicately against each other, sharing weary butterfly kisses.

Jacob grinned against her lips.

"You're really loud."

"Huh?"

"You sort of _screamed _back there."

Bella giggled, feeling herself blush. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, honey. I like it. It's cool. It's more than cool; it's awesome. Totally awesome." He paused thoughtfully. "It's probably good I don't have neighbours that close. We'd have some awkward questions tomorrow."

She jabbed at his arm, unable to process any sort of witty retort. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her, an expression of pure joy on his face as though he were seeing her anew.

"You want to get under the covers, honey?" he asked.

"Sounds good. I'm sleepy."

"Me too. You wore me out." Another kiss, fingers threading through her hair, before they found the energy to lift themselves enough to yank the quilt and sheets down past their feet and over themselves.

"Talk to me, Jake," Bella said, snuggling up against his chest as he lay on his back, wrapping his arms around her.

"Sure," he replied, pressing a kiss to her head. "About what?"

"Anything."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"That was amazing."

"Sure was."

"We need to make my dad spend more nights bonding with the Makah chief?"

"I concur."

They lay against each other in comfortable silence.

"I'm all sticky," Bella yawned out.

"I love you sticky," Jacob replied, stroking his fingers across her damp skin. He paused. "I love you. Did I say that already?"

"Yeah, but it never hurts to say it again."

"I love you." He traced his thumb and forefinger around Bella's wrist, fingering the promise bracelet there.

"I guess tonight didn't go too bad, huh?"

"I'd say you more than kept your promise, Jacob Black. This is the absolutely the best night of my life." She put her arm around him and kissed the part of his chest next to her lips before languidly running her hand up and down his body.

"Christ, Jake!" Her hand had strayed close enough to his thighs to notice he was starting to get hard. Again. "You're like the Duracell bunny!"

"Relax, Bells. I think I'd start to wear it out." He grinned. "At least give me half an hour."

She smacked his stomach lightly with the palm of her hand.

"Wow. All that stamina. The pros of dating a younger guy, huh?"

"Well, why wouldn't I want to continually worship at the altar of Goddess Bella?" His hand rested against her head, played with her hair.

"Hmm. Good point. Well made."

They didn't say much more. Bella felt herself drift off to sleep in his arms, and didn't try to fight it.

* * *

Bella woke up, the sun streaming in through the window. She wondered why it was open when Jacob had specifically closed the curtains last night to prevent anybody wandering past the window from looking in. Then she remembered waking up early in the morning, feeling Jacob's gentle, languid kisses against her back and neck as he cuddled her from behind. She remembered her desire to see the sunrise and his assurance that nobody would be walking past at four in the morning. Then she remembered her thrusting a condom at him as he laughed, admiringly calling her insatiable, before they languidly made love in the spooning position, which had been a lot more clumsy than when people did it in the movies.

Blearily, she groped at the space by her side, where she felt a warm patch but no Jacob. She briefly wondered where he was until she heard clattering coming from the kitchen.

Sitting up, she noticed their formal wear hanging up on Jacob's closet, her dress neatly laced up again. Jacob's shirt was on the bed. Bella noticed there was a note pressed to it.

_Morning, honey. Am making breakfast for us, left this in case you wanted to use the bathroom without getting too cold- x_

Bella couldn't help but smile and pulled herself out of the warm, comfortable bed. She slipped the long shirt over her slender frame and buttoned it up; it hung down past her thighs. It smelt of him: shower gel, shampoo, antiperspirant and whatever quirks of biology made him. She lifted the fabric to her face, inhaled and hugged his shirt to her, basking in just being surrounded by him and…

When the hell did she get this soppy?

It didn't matter. With a happy sigh, Bella padded out of Jacob's bedroom and into the bathroom.

* * *

Washing her hands, Bella peered at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Did she look different? Did she feel different? She felt exhausted, in the best possible way, and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face however hard she tried. Her hair was a mess, she was sweaty, but her eyes sparkled and the low-grade ache between her legs felt oddly good.

Bella leant against the basin and stifled a joyful giggle, stamping her feet in an effort to stop herself from opening the door and skipping to Jacob in the kitchen.

Then she realised there was no need to stop herself and undid the latch, practically dancing to the kitchen towards the smell of frying bacon, towards Jacob's half-naked form, jeans slung low as he frowned in concentration at a frying pan, poking it with a spatula.

"Morning, lover," she crooned, slipping her arms around his waist and standing on her tiptoes so she could press her face against his shoulder. Jacob all but dropped the pan in his rush to gather her up in his arms.

"Morning, honey," he whispered into her hair, pressing kisses to her cheeks and lips.

"What's for breakfast?" she asked. Jacob let go of her momentarily to turn down the heat, put the bacon on plates and pour in some beaten egg.

"Bacon, scrambled eggs and toast," he declared with a smile. "Hope you're hungry. I kind of went overboard."

"I'm starving," she replied. "Somehow, all my energy reserves seem to have vanished." The smile painted across her face when she said this was loaded with meaning.

"We'll soon fix that," Jacob replied. "It was all kinds of fun using them up." He gestured for her to sit down at the small breakfast table, where he had put a flower in a tall glass of water and the morning's mail.

"Do you want some water, babe?" she asked, grabbing two tumblers from a nearby cupboard.

"Thanks, honey."

Bella poured them both water and set the tumblers on the table, sitting down just as Jacob placed a plate laden with food in front of her, followed by cutlery.

"Wow, all that _and_ my toy-boy cooks me breakfast?" she teased.

Jacob set his own plate down and kissed her full on the lips. "Hey, nothing but the best for my favourite cougar," he joked back, sitting down.

She interlaced her fingers between his. "Promise you won't rat me out to Daddy?"

He kissed her again, raised an eyebrow. "Well, that all depends on what you can do to persuade me."

Bella reached forward and tugged at his hair, wrapping it around her fingers.

"Since when did you get so full of yourself?"

"Since you begged to be my sex slave last night," he answered without missing a beat.

Bella let go of his hair and his hand but kissed the latter before doing so. "When did I do that?"

"This morning. You talk in your sleep, you know."

Bella felt herself blush. "Oh. That."

Jacob grinned at her. "It's cute. You said, 'Oh Jacob, my Jacob…' something, something, 'pleasure you for eternity…' something, something, 'I'll be your best slave, I'll be such a good girl…' and then it sounded like you were having fun."

Bella covered her face with her hand, Jacob gently prised it away. "Then you called out, 'Shopping carts have eyes!' muttered something about a beach ball and didn't really say anything else."

He was still sniggering as Bella sighed loudly.

"You're never going to let me forget this, huh?" she replied as she started on her food.

"I'm sort of hoping to hold you to the 'pleasure you for eternity' thing," Jacob said, with a wicked, teasing grin.

They ate while playing footsie under the table and peppering the act with conversation.

"I'm going to miss this," Bella said sadly.

Jacob dropped his fork. "What do you mean?"

"You know, when I go to college in the Fall." She sighed heavily. "I almost wish I'd deferred. Or gone to the community college—"

"Hey." Jacob's hand was covering hers. "Washington Uni isn't that far away. I can come and visit. We have phones, email, letters. You've been working hard for this, Bells. Don't think like that. It's four years—"

"Five with the teaching qualification."

"Whatever. It'll fly by, and I'll still be here, waiting for you. Okay?"

Bella nodded but stared at the table.

Jacob reached over and tilted her head up, making her look at him. "Okay?"

"Okay." She stroked his hand again. "It just sucks… It sucks you aren't going, too. You're so smart."

Jacob shrugged. "I'm going to the community college," he reasoned. "There's just no way we could afford it."

"That's what sucks. It's so unfair."

Jacob kissed her gently. "Life's unfair. I kind of had to learn that the hard way," he said quietly, his expression solemn. Then he smiled his usual brilliant smile. "But hey, I got you. That pretty much makes me the luckiest guy in town, right?"

Bella reached across the table to kiss him, properly and openly, before breaking away and glancing at the post. She picked up one of the letters; it had some sort of logo on it.

"Hey, this one's for you."

"Really?"

She handed the letter to Jacob, and he turned a little ashen.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"It's from..." Jacob trailed off and instead quickly ripped the letter open as though he were ripping off a sticking plaster.

"Is it the school board?" Bella prompted. "It's a bit early, isn't it? School's only just let out for summer." She chewed her lip nervously as she watched him scan the letter, other pieces of paper falling out onto the table from the discarded envelope. His expression darkened then switched to utter confusion.

"I… I don't believe this… I figured it would be a waste of thirteen dollars."

"What would, baby?"

He said nothing, merely handed her the letter.

'_Dear Jacob Black,_

_I am writing to inform you that your PSAT results of October 14__th__ have placed you in the 98__th__ percentile in the Washington State area. This is a great achievement and an excellent indicator of future performance._

_On behalf of the Native American Flexible Schooling Scholarship Fund (NAFSSF), we would like to extend the offer of a place on their scholarship scheme. The scheme allows able students with extenuating circumstances the chance to obtain full funding for an honours degree, providing they fulfil the following criteria:_

_You are a Native American, and can prove with legal documentation (see enclosed leaflet for details of recognised identification) you are born to, or adopted by, NA parents who reside in a tribal reservation recognised by the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). _

_You are either: _

_An independent student (emancipated minor, over the age of twenty-five or otherwise without a legal guardian)_

_The parent, legal guardian or custodian of one or more children under the age of eighteen _

_A primary caregiver, as recognised by the relevant local authorities _

_Have a recognised disability (see enclosed leaflet for details)_

_Gain an offer from one of the participating universities (see enclosed leaflet for details)._

_Successfully obtain the necessary GPA and credits to enrol in the offered course._

_Please complete the enclosed form and return it to us promptly. Your school will be contacted in due course._

_Once again, may I offer my congratulations and hope you choose to accept this wonderful opportunity._

_Kind Regards'_

There was a scribble and a name, but it didn't matter.

"Whoa," she said, beaming. "This is incredible!"

Jacob took the letter from her and stared at it again, holding it up to the light. "Are we sure this isn't some kind of scam? It sounds too good to be true."

"No, it isn't," Bella explained. "They cream off the highest scoring applicants, and they get offers from specific scholarship funds— Angela got one from some LCA sponsored fund, because her dad's a minister. She didn't get a conditional offer like this, though; but then she wasn't placed in the 98th percentile."

She leapt up from her seat and sat on his lap, throwing her arms around him. "Congratulations," she whispered against his ear before frowning at him. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, itching with curiosity. "I always knew you were smart, but I didn't realise you were _this_ smart!"

Jacob blushed, but still managed to flash a cheeky grin. "Yeah, well. Got to maintain some mystery, right?"

He then looked up at her solemnly. "I didn't think I'd get it. I didn't want to tell you about it, only to have to tell you when it fell through."

"Jake!" Bella gasped. "I'm your girl, you can tell me this kind of thing!"

"I'm sorry, Bells—"

She cupped his face in her hands. "Next time, don't keep it to yourself, okay?"

Jacob nodded and kissed her gently on the lips. "Okay."

He started to smile. "So, there was a fun prom, spending all night making love to the most incredible woman in the world and a scholarship, all inside twenty-four hours?" He frowned. "Where's the bad thing to balance all this out?"

There was a sudden knock at the door. Bella and Jacob froze and looked at each other.

"Is that your dad?"

"I don't… Wait, he'd have a key, Bells!"

The knocking continued. Bella got up out of Jacob's lap. "You'd better answer it," she replied. "I'll go and hide in the bathroom."

Trying not to giggle, Bella hid behind Jacob as he walked to the hall, slipping away to the bathroom as he continued to the door. Shrouded in darkness, Bella held her breath and listened as Jacob opened the front door.

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me, Quil!"

"What, you not used to me knocking?" Quil's voice was both weary and elated. The door shut again.

"It's okay, Bells," Jacob called. "It's just Quil."

With a sigh of relief, Bella crept out of the bathroom, only to be met by Quil's wild stare. He switched from her to Jacob and back again, coughing nervously.

"Right." He looked down at the floor for a moment before lifting his head and grinning. "And I thought I had the big news to brag about—"

Jacob glared at him. "Not a word, dude. This is private, okay?"

"Alright, calm down. You know I'll keep it zipped." Bella felt he directed this more at her than Jacob.

"How do you know there's anything to tell?" she asked.

Quil raised his eyebrows at her in rebuke. "Please, I'm not a moron. You're wearing his shirt, you've both got stupid grins plastered over your faces and you both have serious JBF hair."

"JBF?" Bella queried.

Jacob sighed. "Just been—"

"Okay, I get it!"

It was around then Bella suddenly noticed Quil was still in his formal wear, albeit very dishevelled, his bow tie undone and hanging loosely around his neck, shirt unbuttoned to the waist, jacket covered in sand. She also noticed he was covered in lipstick marks. Several different colours of lipstick marks.

"So, I take it you've got a story to go with that look?" Jacob asked, winding his arm around Bella's waist. She rested her hand against his, holding him in place.

Quil merely held his hand aloft and tucked his thumb behind his palm, splaying out four fingers. "Four girls," he said as though in prayer. "Four _really_ hot girls who were happy to share Ateara Junior here." He grinned and punched the air. "Second base never felt so good. I got their numbers and everything. Turns out they dig a sensitive guy who sticks up for his buddy's girlfriend and dances a toddler to sleep."

Bella stifled a giggle. "Seriously? Four girls at once? And they… they were cool with that?"

"Hell, yeah. Apparently they do everything together, and it'll take more time than you guys are willing to spare right now explaining how difficult that is to keep up," Quil admitted cheerfully.

"How's Embry?" Jacob asked.

Quil shrugged. "I haven't seen him since last night. This morning. Whatever." He laughed. "Last I saw he was trying to woo Emily—"

"What?" Jacob burst out laughing at this. "Dude's got balls; you've got to give him that."

"Well, I saw him sit next to her when she was looking kind of down— guess she got fed up doing Sam and Leah's job while they macked out. I didn't really catch that much of it, but he did pin the flower on his lapel to her dress, and he did kiss her, but I think he only went for her cheek."

"Was she mad? Did she slap him?" Jacob asked.

"No, she seemed kind of flattered." Quil shrugged. "I'll catch him later, get him to spill. What are you guys up to today?"

"Not much," Jacob said. "What about you, honey?"

"Mom and Phil are visiting today; they're on their way to some baseball tournament," Bella explained. She looked up at Jacob shyly. "It'd be really nice if, you know, we could all spend some time together—"

"All including me, right? Are you sure they'll be cool with that?"

"They're really nice, Jake, and they'll love you." Bella walked her hands down his chest and onto the waistband of his jeans, twisting them gently. "We're serious now, right?"

"I thought we'd been serious for ages, Bells."

"So, part of that means I want you to meet my mom."

Their hands found each other, fingers interlocking. In some ways, this was scarier and deeper than anything they had shared last night.

Quil shrugged. "I was going to ask if you guys were going to shoot the breeze with us down at the beach later?"

Jacob looked at Quil apologetically. "Another time, man? I mean, I see you guys all the time, and I've never met Bella's mom."

"I understand, bro," Quil replied before mouthing something at Jacob that ended with 'struck' and resulted in Jacob raising his middle finger at him.

Quil just laughed. "You know, if you're going to meet the folks, Jake, you might want to take a shower," he hinted. "You too, Bella. Your mom might not like him so much if he takes you home looking like a chick from a Trojan commercial."

* * *

The drive back to Bella's house was oddly calm. Bella stretched out in the passenger seat, her dress carefully laid out across the back seat. She was wearing a pair of Rebecca Black's old Lycra pants and one of Jacob's plaid shirts with one of his belts attempting to cinch it in but in reality sitting on her hips even when fastened on the first button hole. The car window was rolled down, and the wind whipped through her damp, freshly showered hair. She sighed happily, running her hand casually through her long dark locks.

"You okay, honey?" Jacob asked, one hand on the steering wheel, another reaching for her hand.

She grabbed his outstretched hand and pressed it to her lips. "I'm very okay, babe," she replied languidly, kicking her heels off and curling her toes against the floor of the car. "Very, very okay."

They had taken Quil's advice and had a shower. True, he hadn't suggested the sharing part, but Jacob had, and Bella was all for creativity. She barely had to close her eyes for the memories to flood in: carefully washing each other's hair, lathering up and sharing a loofah, him gently scrubbing her back, his wet hair against her thighs as he sank to his knees, exploring her, the water battering down on her skin only heightening the sensations. Carrying her to his bed and rubbing lotion into her wet supple skin, her doing the same to him until they were sliding around in each other's arms, kissing and cuddling, her deciding she wanted to do some exploring of her own, using her mouth in new ways that made him moan her name.

She was definitely okay.

"This is going to be tough," Jacob confessed. "A day of not being able to touch you? I'm going to just about explode… I can hold your hand, right? You mom won't freak if I do that?"

Bella laughed. "Jake, it takes a lot to freak my mom. Trust me. Hand holding is totally fine. In fact, it's expected of you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really." She smiled and kissed his hand again. "I love you."

"I love you too, honey."

Bella could see Phil's SUV as they pulled up next to her house.

"Well, here goes," she said as Jacob cut the engine. He leant forward and kissed her softly on the lips. She responded passionately.

"Oh, Jake, I'm never going to leave this damn car if you keep doing that," she moaned.

He grinned against her skin, stroking her hair. "So I have to be the strong one, huh?"

Bella pulled away and opened the car door. "I can be strong, too," she declared, climbing out of the car. Jacob followed, grabbing her dress from the back seat.

"Thanks, baby," she said, tucking her arm around his as they walked slowly up to her house and she found the key.

Bella heard the excited squeal as soon as she turned the handle.

"Oh, here they are!" Renee's familiar voice sang out, putting down her coffee mug and rushing to greet them.

"Bella, it's so good to see you, sweetie!" she breathed, crushing her into a hug.

"Hi, Mom," Bella managed to choke out. Phil stood by, looking a little uneasy.

"Hey, Bella," he said.

"Hi, Phil."

"So, who's the fella?" he asked, looking at Jacob with interest as he put her dress down on the sofa.

"Oh, Phil, this is Jacob. Jake, this is Phil."

They shook hands and shared a casual greeting as Renee's eyes raked over Jacob.

"So this is the famous Jacob Black, then?" she said, excitement in her voice.

"Famous in a good way, I hope," Jacob replied, flashing the sort of charming smile Bella was sure had been responsible for Mike Newton's mother showering him with affection and cookies.

"Jake, this is my mom, Renee—"

Renee was one step ahead, hugging Jacob like a long lost son. "Oh my… Last time I saw you, you were this big!" She indicated with her hands a space roughly the size of a six month old. "You've gotten so tall!"

"Where's Dad?" Bella asked.

"Oh, he's on the phone." Just as Renee said those words, Charlie walked into the room. He did not look happy.

"Hi, Dad—"

"Guess who I've just got off the phone from?" he demanded, eschewing pleasantries as he glared at Bella, then Jacob, then Bella again.

"I—"

"Your father, Jacob," he continued without waiting for a response. "He asked me if there was any gossip about the prom he ought to know about before he got home. I told him, 'Well, Billy, surely you'd know, after all, Bella stayed over last night with you in the house.' He sounded very surprised to hear this. 'Really? Because I was over at the Makah reservation last night. All night. Jacob didn't mention anything about Bella stopping over.' I think you can guess the rest."

Bella felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. Jacob's hand found hers and squeezed it. Phil suddenly developed a nasty cough, one which on occasion sounded curiously like laughter.

Charlie looked at the two of them and made an odd angry clucking sound with his tongue before demanding, "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Bella stared at the floor, her cheeks burning even more brightly.

A pink flush crept over the apples of Jacob's cheeks, but he met Charlie's eyes. "Umm, busted?" he offered submissively.

Phil started coughing so much his eyes began to water. Bella glanced at her mother who was staring at a fixed patch on the wall, her chest heaving a little as she bit her lip, trying to stop the smile that kept creeping across her face.

"Outside, Jake. I want a word with you," Charlie said, his expression deadly serious.

"Dad, leave him alone!" Bella exclaimed. "I was the one that lied—"

Jacob cupped Bella's face in his hands. "It's okay, Bells. I've got this," he said, kissing her gently on the lips. She felt her eyelids flutter in response. They squeezed hands again before Jacob followed a very stern looking Charlie out through the front door.

Phil suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh, stop it, Phil," Renee insisted. "You'll set me off."

"That kid's got some cojones," he commented between chuckles.

"Phil, darling, why don't you go and take a look at the back yard?" Renee suggested.

"Why would I…? Right. Sure. Of course." He looked a little uncomfortable. "I'll leave you two ladies to it."

When the back door had shut, Renee gestured for Bella to sit down on the sofa. "Well, go on," she insisted. "Tell me everything!"

"Mom," Bella replied wearily. "I'm not about to tell you everything—"

"I can't believe he's grown into such a handsome boy," she enthused. "I mean, he wasn't an ugly baby, but he wasn't all that pretty either."

"Mom—"

"His hair is to die for. _I'd_ kill to have hair like that!"

"Mom!"

She sighed, taking Bella hands in hers and rested them on her lap. "Well, were you safe?"

"Mom, we didn't—"

"Don't lie to me Bella," Renee said gently. "I could tell the moment you walked through the door. You might as well have been wearing a sandwich board proclaiming it."

Bella bit her lip and felt herself flush all over again. "Yes, we were safe. Very safe." A rush of indignation overtook her. "It's not like it's a crime!" she paused, biting her lip in worry. "Well, not in Washington, anyway-"

Renee hushed her. "Sweetie, as long as it's what you both wanted, and you were safe, then I've nothing to worry about."

Bella said nothing, but Renee filled in the gaps. "And I can tell it's what you wanted. You're so damn happy," she said with a gentle laugh, nudging Bella.

"Yeah."

"So, what was it like? Was he gentle? Did he know what he was doing?"

"Mom, we are not having this conversation!" Bella retorted, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Renee merely smiled wistfully. "Come on, Bella. I remember the excitement, and the nerves, of that first time. Even when me and Phil first made love, it was different than it was with your father—"

"Mom!"

"What? I'm on your side here!"

"Mom, I don't want to hear about… you know… _that!_"

"Sweetie, you know I've had sex, how else did you happen, hmm?"

"Yeah, I know, but I don't have to be told about it!"

Renee smiled as Bella slumped her head against the back of the sofa. "You look exhausted," she said simply, and Bella turned bright red.

At that moment, Jacob and Charlie returned from outside, chatting amiably between themselves.

"So, you two sorted things out?" Renee queried, winking at Bella.

Charlie merely clapped Jacob on the shoulder. "You know I like Jake," he said as Renee jumped up.

"Here, you should come outside and meet Phil," she said to Jacob, slipping her arm around his and guiding him away.

"Told you they'd like you," Bella said with a smile.

Once they were gone, Charlie sat next to Bella. His expression was serious but not angry.

"Dad, I'm sorry about last night," she began, but Charlie stopped her.

"Bells, don't tell me. I don't need to know, and I really don't want to know, you understand?" he said sternly.

"Loud and clear," Bella replied.

Charlie smiled a little and squeezed her hand. "Just don't break that kid's heart, Bells," he insisted. "He really loves you."

"I really love him, Dad," she replied, and the look on Charlie's face was one she would never forget.

It was the look of someone who had just decided they had lost something that they would never get back.


	11. Chapter Ten: Fall Out

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella goes to college, but she and Jacob struggle with their long distance relationship.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Confettirainfall and thejmeyer.

**Warnings:** I should probably mention this chapter has a fairly lengthy segment concerning the use of date rape drugs.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Fall Out**

By the time Bella left Forks to attend Washington University, she was beginning to wonder if Jacob had ruined her. After three months of a blissful summer together interrupted only by part-time jobs, they had both cried into each other's shoulders as they parted at the threshold of her dorm room.

"Come on, Jake," Charlie said, patting him on the shoulder. "Let Bells settle in. We can stop off for dinner on the drive back."

Jacob nodded and pressed a kiss to Bella's lips. Her father looked away as he always did whenever Jacob was particularly affectionate towards her in his company.

"Call me, honey," he said. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I will, baby," Bella replied, her hands cupping his face, her forehead pressed against his. They let go, and Jacob left the room.

Charlie had his hands in his pockets and looked a little sheepish. "Good luck, Bells," he said with a nod. He then gently squeezed her arm.

"Thanks, Dad," she replied.

He smiled. "If you need anything, you know where I am."

With a quick goodbye, they were gone. Bella was left alone in the dorm room, waiting to see who her roommate was. To take her mind off things, she began to pack away her belongings with a practised efficiency and put up her photos. The one of her and Jacob at his junior prom took pride of place on her desk; other shots of the two of them, along with Quil and Embry, a photo of her with Angela, she pinned to her notice board.

By the time she was deciding where her totem pole should go— a gift from Jacob, sculpted by his own hand to show her truck, books, scrolls and an eagle wearing a graduation cap— her roommate arrived, arguing parents in tow.

"Have you got the clothes, Tom?"

"I thought you had them," a gruff male voice replied.

"No, I don't have them. Anyway, you're the one who insisted she should pick this over her fiancé, so you should know exactly where her damn clothes box is."

"Oh, shut up, Mary."

"Guys, I've got the clothes box. Crisis averted, and I'm the one who decided to come here, Mom. Not Dad, and not Vic." The door opened as these words were spoken, and Bella saw the girl who was voicing them. Tall and curvy with coppery skin, a long dark brown braid hanging down her back and thick bangs framing her face, her very expressive face.

Right now, that expressive face was showing fear and mild disgust.

"Oh, hi. You must be my roommate, huh?" she said, her voice a little cold and guarded, her brown eyes glancing towards Bella's totem pole every so often.

Placing the totem pole on her desk, Bella held out her hand. "Yeah, hi. I'm Bella."

"Abbie," the girl replied, loosely gripping Bella's fingers in a handshake she recognised Harry Clearwater had once given her. Bella returned it the same way.

There was little in the way of conversation after that; Bella continued to put away her stuff and set up her second-hand computer while Abbie insisted to her parents that she would be fine as they folded cardboard boxes and put them in the hallway. The father kept glancing across at Bella's totem pole, his expression incredulous.

"That's nice," he eventually commented when they were due to leave. "Quileute, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Bella replied, noticing Abbie glare at her father warningly.

He nodded and smiled. "I recognise the style. Get it at one of the fairs?"

"No, my boyfriend made it for me," she replied simply. "It represents my journey here and the things I want to achieve. It's supposed to be good luck."

"Your boyfriend?" Abbie sounded startled.

Bella herself was surprised Abbie had broken her icy silence. "Yeah. We've been seeing each other for almost a year now."

"We'll leave you to it then, Abbie," her father said, pulling her into a hug, followed by her mother kissing her cheeks.

Once her parents had left, Abbie walked over to Bella's side of the room.

"You got any photos?" she asked. Bella pointed to the one on her desk, then to the ones pinned up on her notice board. Abbie surveyed them with interest.

"He's hot," she concluded. "Looks young, though."

"Yeah, he is young," Bella explained. "He's just started his senior year."

Abbie smirked at this. "Okay, that doesn't make you a cougar at all."

"Oh, that's like one of his favourite nicknames for me," Bella said, and the two started laughing.

"He'll be coming here next year, hopefully. Got a scholarship and everything," Bella added proudly.

"So, he's Quileute, right? That means you must be from somewhere around there."

"Forks," Bella answered. "I mean, I live there, and I was born there. My parents got divorced; I grew up in Arizona. What about you?"

"Oh, not that far away from you, really. I'm from Port Gamble." A short pause. "S'Klallam."

"Right." Bella felt herself colour up. "I'm sorry, I don't really know that much about the different tribes."

"How did you two hook up, then?" Abbie asked. "Did you meet him at a powwow? That's where a few of my guy friends from the tribe hooked up with white…" She stared at the floor momentarily. "You know. Non-Indians. Some meet them at school, but La Push has its own rez school, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Bella affirmed before rubbing her forehead a little. "It's kind of a long story," she began before realising it probably wouldn't hurt to share a little bit of her past with a girl she was going to spend at least a year sharing a room with. "I can make it brief. I moved in with my dad during eleventh grade; he's friends with Jake's dad. Charlie— Dad— bought a truck off them, Tyler— a guy at my school— wrecked it when he skidded on some black ice. Nobody would fix it." She laughed a little. "Then Dad suggested Jake would be able to fix it. Some skinny fifteen year old was going to do what no garage around would?" She sat down on her bed as Abbie leant against Bella's desk.

"Did he?"

"Yeah. He can pretty much fix anything," Bella replied. "We became friends, then, slowly… here we are."

Abbie looked somewhat thoughtful. She frowned for a moment, then looked at Bella, and seemed to instantly relax.

"That's cool," she said. "If I'm honest, I kind of freaked when I saw the totem pole. Figured you were one of those girls who've seen _'Last of the Mohicans'_ and think they're a cultural expert. I went to a mixed school and met quite a few. They were stuck somewhere between cruel and patronising." She shrugged. "Still, I'm here, and they're pregnant. You get out of life what you put in, huh?"

Abbie's slow spreading smile was infectious.

"Anyway," Bella explained. "I don't really have much involvement with the tribe, you know? I'm friends with some of Jake's friends, and that's about it." She managed to chuckle. "Let's just say I'm a bit of a sore point with some of the people on the reservation."

Abbie seemed surprised at this. "Really? They living in the Sixties or something? My uncle remarried a white woman last year; nobody cared."

"Jake's dad is the Quileute chief—" Bella's explanation was cut off by Abbie's low pitched whistle.

"Oh fuck," she said before smirking. "Good luck with that relationship. You're going to need it."

Bella shook her head. "We're through the worst of it," she insisted.

"If you say so."

"We're really serious," Bella insisted, stretching out her left arm to display the promise bracelet there. "People tried to break us up, and it didn't happen. We're just… I think we're meant to be."

* * *

A month later, Bella and Jacob broke up.

It all happened one Thursday after lectures when Abbie made a simple suggestion.

"Hey, want to go to a frat party?" she asked.

Bella frowned. "Aren't they full of older guys? And booze?"

"Sure, but that doesn't mean we're going to some drug fuelled orgy." She paused. "Well, okay, it will be a drug fuelled orgy, but we don't have to participate. It'll be fun," Abbie insisted. "I know Steve; he invited us. He's a good guy."

Bella hesitated but in a way that Abbie grinned appreciatively at. "See, now I know you're going to say yes."

"Oh, alright. Fine. I trust you," Bella replied as they reached their room.

Jacob phoned while Bella was busy getting ready.

"Hey, Jake."

"Hey, honey." His voice was warm, happy. "How's things?"

"Erm, Jake? Could we do this another time? I'm about to go out, actually,"

"Oh." He sounded hurt. "I thought we agreed on Thursdays to phone?"

"Yeah, and normally that's fine, but something's come up. A big party thing; there will be a ton of people I don't know and I'll be trying not to spend it hiding in the kitchen…"

There was silence.

"Jake? You still there?"

"Of course I am."

"Then talk to me."

"I thought you were busy," he said sullenly.

"Oh, don't be such a child, Jake."

"I am not a child, Bella." His voice was acidic. "If you think what you and I got up to over the summer is something a child would do, you've got some weird ideas."

Bella said nothing, feeling her blood start to boil. She knew exactly what he was referring to, the summer of Jake and Bells being in each other's pockets, in each other. Everywhere, every way, every snatched opportunity. Her kitchen table when Charlie was on patrols, bent over his Rabbit in his makeshift garage, on the beach hidden by the tides.

She heard Jacob sigh heavily down the phone. "I guess I knew this was going to happen."

"What was?" Bella asked while trying to find her shoes.

"They were right; we wouldn't be able to last when you left."

"What? Says who?" Bella snapped.

"Does it matter? You'd rather go to some dumb party than talk to me!"

"Jake! This is one time only! I'm sorry." She paused. What was she apologising for? She had every right to go out and have fun while at college, it was pretty much the definition of college life.

"Wait, I'm not sorry. I can go out and have fun if I want. You're my boyfriend, not my dad. I'll speak to you tomorrow—"

"Don't bother," Jacob spat back. "Have fun at your party; try not to catch anything!"

The phone clicked dead before Bella could retort. She glared at her phone.

"Trouble in paradise?" Abbie quipped.

Bella slammed her phone down. "What a bastard!" she seethed.

"What happened?"

"It…" Bella sighed. "It doesn't matter. We're going to have fun tonight, right?"

"Damn straight we are," Abbie affirmed as Bella's cell phone began to ring. She glanced at the caller. It was Jacob.

"Are you going to answer that?" Abbie asked as Bella slid the phone into her purse while saying nothing.

Abbie shrugged. "Guess not."

* * *

The party was loud, with disco lights in the house and a bubble machine out in the garden, people jostling and dancing everywhere Bella looked.

In short, she wasn't sure this was her thing.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Bella said to Abbie, who squeezed her hand.

"It'll be fine. Hey, Steve!" she called and a handsome, broad shouldered guy with bright blue eyes and a disarming smile looked over at them. He made his way through the crowd to greet them.

"Hey, Abbie," he said, pressing a kiss to each of her cheeks. "Glad you could make it. Who's your friend?"

"Steve, this is Bella. Bella, this is Steve."

"Hi," Bella said awkwardly.

Steve looked at her and smiled. "Hey, Bella. You a freshman like Abbie?"

"Yeah," she replied, just as Abbie spotted someone in the distance.

"I just have to go and kick that guy's ass," she said with a wink.

Steve smiled. "Don't worry, I'll keep Bella here company," he said shyly before looking at her. "That's okay, isn't it, Bella?"

"Sure, sure," she replied airily.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked. "We've got some pretty lethal punch."

Bella shook her head. "No, I don't—"

Steve raised his palms in surrender. "Of course. No pressure, but if you change your mind—"

Suddenly, Bella heard her phone ring. Fiddling in her purse, she pulled the cell phone out and saw Jacob was trying to phone. Again.

"Go on," she said, stuffing the unanswered cell phone back in her purse. "I'll have that punch."

Steve looked at her, shrugged, and poured her a paper cup full of strong smelling blue liquid. She sniffed at it, took a sip and felt it burn down her throat.

"Bit strong, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Bella wheezed, much to Steve's amusement. He handed her another paper cup.

"Here, have some water," he said. "It'll help."

"Thanks," Bella replied, guzzling down half the cup straight away before tentatively trying the punch again.

"So, what are you majoring in, Bella?" Steve asked.

"English," she replied. "I thought about Education because I think I want to teach, but I can do a certification course after my major, and I really liked English in my AP classes." She blushed. "Sorry, I'm talking way too much."

"I think you're talking just enough," Steve said with a smile as he gently brushed his hand against her shoulder.

"What about you?" Bella asked, enjoying the attention. "Are you a freshman, too?"

"I'm in my second year," he explained. "I'm majoring in Economics, but I'm doing a few electives from the business course."

The hours flew by as they chatted away about everything and nothing, and Abbie gave her a sly wink and kept out of their way, even as she followed Steve out into the garden, laughing as he popped the bubbles that floated towards them from one of several bubble machines set up across the lawn.

"You never told me the name of your boyfriend, Bella," Steve said as he tried and failed to catch one of the bubbles floating towards them from their vantage point by the garden wall, watching the other revellers dancing to some music Bella didn't recognise.

"Who said I had a boyfriend?" Bella teased, her head feeling oddly fuzzy.

Steve shrugged, slipping his arm around her. "I deduced it," he said, tapping his nose with his finger.

"Deduced how?"

"Well, a girl as pretty as you must have a boyfriend, right?"

She blushed furiously, and he grinned at her. "That isn't always the case," she argued.

"Are you the exception to the rule, then?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Bella lurched forward suddenly, losing her balance.

Steve caught her, his expression full of concern. "You okay, Bella?" he asked before smiling. "Did you have a bit too much of the punch?"

"I only had one," Bella insisted, feeling confused. Her head was fuzzy, she felt barely able to stand. That stuff must have been strong.

Her phone started to ring again. She sighed in irritation.

"Go away!" she shouted at her purse.

Steve laughed. "I don't think that will work. Have you tried switching it off?"

Suddenly, Bella heard Abbie call her name. Looking up, she saw her rush towards her.

"There you are, Bella, is everything…?" She trailed off and stared at Bella. "I think we'd better go," she said. "You've got cross country try outs tomorrow, remember?"

"I don't do cross country—"

"Sure you do," Abbie insisted, trying to grab Bella, who shook her off.

"I'm fine, Abbie. Steve is looking after me!"

She turned her attention to Steve's smiling face, barely registering Abbie taking the ringing phone out of her purse and answering it.

"Hello?... Sorry, she's kind of busy right— You're where...? I'll come and find you!"

She clicked the phone off and handed it back to Bella before running off.

"Well, that was weird," Steve said with a smile, tucking Bella's hair behind her ear.

Bella shrugged. "Yeah, I—" She nearly fell over. Steve held her up.

"Maybe Abbie's right," he pointed out gently. "You need some rest."

"I'm okay—"

"Look, my place is only up the road. I could take you there if you like?"

The garden started to sway in front of her, the bubbles floating downwards. She didn't argue when Steve tucked his arm under hers and walked her away from the party.

* * *

"It's not too far," Steve insisted as Bella struggled to walk.

"Can we just stop here?" she asked woozily.

"Come on, Bella. You can do it," Steve urged as they stepped across the grass.

Somewhere in the distance, Bella could hear footsteps, rushing footsteps, and voices.

"She's over there!" Abbie's voice was recognisable.

"Bella!" A familiar voice called. "Bella! Wait!"

"Jake?" she mumbled, confused. What was he doing here?

She felt his arms fit around her. "Bells, honey, are you okay?"

"She's fine," Steve said, and Bella felt him tug her back. "She's just had a bit too much to drink. I'm taking her back to her room."

"Where is her room, Steve?" Abbie's voice was cold.

"I… The same one as yours," he replied.

"Which is?"

His silence filled Bella's ears, and she suddenly felt cold.

"He doesn't even know she's in Hagget," Jacob muttered to himself, which Bella thought was odd. She was in Mercer Hall.

"Yeah, I was taking her to Hagget!"

Steve screamed as Bella heard an awful crunch.

"She's not in Hagget, asshat," Jacob spat, rubbing his forehead as Steve clutched his nose.

"Fucking hell, Abbie— call your psycho brother off!" he yelled.

"Oh yeah, because we all have to be related," Abbie scoffed.

Bella felt Jacob grab her, she relaxed into his arms as he stared in her eyes, lifting a finger and moving it around.

"Come on, Bells," he murmured. "Follow my finger, huh?"

Bella just wanted to sleep.

"What the hell has she taken?" Jacob demanded suddenly.

"What? I told you, she's drunk," Steve protested.

"I've seen drunk," Jacob hissed. "That is not drunk. What has she had?"

"Just fuck off, dude!"

Suddenly, Bella felt Jacob pass her to Abbie. Through her hazy vision she could roughly make out the figure of Jacob pinning Steve to the floor as he screamed in pain before pulling something out of his pocket and holding it to Steve's forehead while yanking him up by his hair.

"If you don't tell me," he roared, "I'm going to fucking scalp you! Yeah," he snarled as Steve thrashed underneath him, trying to pull away. "I'll be fucking Brad Pitt in _'Legends of the Fall'_, and you'll be those poor fuckers with no fucking scalps!" he insisted as Steve started to whimper.

"Alright, alright! It was just a roofie, man! She'll be fine!"

Jacob stood up; Steve rolled over onto his back.

"You won't be when I tell the cops you threatened me with a knife!" he snarled.

Jacob merely laughed. "I don't know what made you think I'd be able to scalp you with my dad's debit card," he pointed out. "Somehow, I doubt the cops will be able to get their heads around that one, either."

"Come on, Bella," Abbie soothed. "Let's get you home."

Steve screamed as Jacob kicked him hard in the crotch. Bella saw him land another kick to his side before Abbie yelled at him.

"Jacob! Leave him! He's not worth it."

He ceased his attack but leant into Steve's bloody face, a vicious snarl painted across his features. "You come anywhere near her again, man, I'll kill you and make it look like an accident!"

Then Bella blacked out.

* * *

"You sure she doesn't need to see a doctor?" Jacob's voice was full of concern.

"She'll be okay. She won't remember much, but she'll be okay." Abbie sounded curiously jaded. "This is all my fault. He seemed like a nice guy."

"It's not your fault." Jacob sounded genuine. "There's only one person whose fault this is. Bastard."

"Hey, cool it, Jacob. You got your pound of flesh, don't make it worse."

"You're on his side?"

"I'm on yours. An assault charge isn't exactly going to help your college applications, right?"

Bella felt fingers tenderly stroke her hair.

"You don't seem like the violent type right now," Abbie commented, and Jacob laughed.

"The only time I ever get into fights is over girls," he pointed out. "Over Bells," he added with a sigh.

"Jake?" she mumbled, pulling herself up into a seated position. She noticed daylight was streaming into the room, and she was in her bed. Jacob was sat by her side, and he squeezed her hand.

"You okay, Bella?" he asked, and Bella noticed he looked ashen and exhausted. "What happened?"

"Bad things," he said, glancing at Abbie. "Could you give us a moment, please?"

"Sure," Abbie replied softly. "I'll pick us up some breakfast, Bella."

The door clicked carefully shut.

"Jake—"

"Bella, what the hell were you thinking?" he demanded hotly.

"Excuse me?"

"Last night, with the drinking and the letting some Neanderthal dude drag you back to his cave?"

Bella glared at him. "I didn't _let_ him do anything," she spat, feeling stupid and angry with herself. She didn't need Jacob to rub it in as well.

"It's a good thing I was there."

"What _were_ you doing there?" Bella demanded.

"I tried calling you all night—"

"Yeah, I noticed you keeping tabs on me."

"I was trying to apologise," he said through gritted teeth. "I left you tons of messages, saying sorry for acting like a jerk, asking you to call. One of them was a huge monologue about fancy dancing, how when I was fourteen I watched the women dancing at a powwow and Dad told me they danced every other step for their men, and how I asked why not every step, and he told me that it's not right to give all of yourself away, and how I got that now because I was being a douche trying to stop you from doing your thing… I drove up here, Bells. I wanted to make things right." He shook his head, smiled coldly. "And you didn't care."

"Of course I cared—"

"No, you didn't. You went out and got drunk and flirted with some douche bag. Worse than drunk, you could have been..." He stopped talking and stood up. "I can't deal with this, Bella," he said suddenly.

"Wait, what?"

"I can't deal with this, if this is what you want to do."

"Jake, it was one night—"

"Yeah, and how many more are going to follow?"

Bella felt anger flare up in her. "It was a mistake, okay? I'm just trying to do the college thing!"

"Yeah? Fine. Do it." He grabbed his jacket and slung it on.

"Jake, where are you going?"

"Home. Well, to the station first. I need to make a statement about last night—"

"Jake, you look exhausted," Bella said.

"I'll be fine," he replied tersely, striding towards the door, resting his hand on the handle.

"You going to say anything?" he asked, not facing her. Bella felt the fight build up in her. He couldn't expect her to drop everything at his beck and call, relationships just didn't work like that. She had to be who she wanted to be.

Jacob laughed coldly, quietly. "Fine. I guess this is it, then."

He opened the door but turned around.

"You're welcome, by the way," he spat, before slamming the door shut. Bella stared at the door, the empty room, until Abbie walked in with some toast and orange juice.

Then she burst into tears.

* * *

"Bella? You want to come to the movies? There's a bunch of us going."

Bella didn't even bother to reply or move from her position lying flat on her back across her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

She felt the bed move as Abbie sat down on the edge. "Bella, this is crazy. You've been like this for months!"

"Three weeks, actually."

"Whatever, it's time to let go."

Bella felt tears well up in her eyes; she blinked and they spread across her eyelashes, dripping down the sides of her face.

It had been three weeks since she and Jacob had split up. They hadn't exactly used those words, but 'I guess this is it, then' was clear enough to her. She hadn't heard from him, not even a text message. Nothing.

Of course, she hadn't exactly tried to contact him, but that would be giving in, right?

* * *

Abbie had told her, in no uncertain terms, she was being an idiot.

"Bella, that guy drove four hours just so he could say sorry. He stayed up all night watching over you when you were out cold, he was terrified for you. You want to know what I think?"

"No."

Abbie ignored her. "I think the two of you are miserable as sin that you're not together, but you're both too pig headed to do anything about it. One of you has got to break the silence; it might as well be you."

"This coming from the girl who dumped her fiancé to go to college—"

"Hey!" Abbie's voice flared with anger. "I didn't dump him to come to college; the two things aren't mutually exclusive. I dumped him, because he was a useless drunk!"

"Sorry," Bella mumbled.

"So you _can_ say it," Abbie mused. "Say it to him."

"I have nothing to apologise for."

"So? Just fucking say it! I'll bet you ten bucks he'll be sorry too."

* * *

Right now, Abbie wasn't arguing with her. She merely dropped a parcel in Bella's lap.

"This arrived for you," she said. "And this is the last time I'm picking up any of your post. You want something, you're going to have to leave this room. You only go out to lectures."

Bella sat up and examined the parcel. The address was written in Jacob's handwriting. She opened it up frantically, only to see a padlocked scrapbook with the words _'Forget Me Not'_ stencilled on the front, a key, and a note.

_Bella,_

_I'm returning this so you know I'm not going to try and exact some kind of dumb revenge. That seems to be the kind of thing you expect from this kid, after all._

_Jacob_

Bella started to cry again. Abbie put an arm around her.

"Oh, Bella. It'll get easier, you know that." She picked up the scrapbook. "What is this, anyway?"

By the time Bella managed to yell, "No! Don't open it!" Abbie had already unlocked the padlock and flicked to the first page of the scrapbook.

"Wow," she whispered, her eyes wide. "Who knew, Bella Swan? Who knew?"

Bella knew what she was staring at, the reams and reams of photographs of Bella Swan in various locations around Forks and La Push.

Bella Swan in various states of undress. On Jacob's bed, a picture of innocence in his oversized white shirt, save for the tousled hair, too much makeup and the fact the shirt had slipped clean off her shoulder exposing her left breast. Draped across his Rabbit in silky new lingerie she had bought specifically for the occasion— and to remind him what he'd be getting his hands on soon. Straddling his bike, in nothing but heels and panties, carefully covering her breasts with her long hair and one hand. Against her truck in unzipped jeans displaying a hint of her underwear and a plaid shirt that showed she wore nothing underneath it. On the beach in a bikini, covered in sand and sea spray, on the rocks in nothing at all, hiding her modesty behind carefully placed hands… The photos were hit and miss, but some of them wouldn't have been out of place in a glossy magazine. Jacob had discovered yet another talent.

* * *

The last month before Bella was due to start at the University of Washington, she'd had a brainwave. It had occurred when she was sitting in Jacob's room, not having sex with him, which hadn't happened all that often this summer.

"What are you doing, baby?" she asked, her arms slipping around him as he started arranging photographs.

"I'm finding all my photos of you," he said. "I want to see you when you're not around."

"Are you really going to forget me that quickly without visual stimulation?" she teased.

"Of course not," he replied, kissing her chastely. She frowned, wrinkling her forehead and nose as she did so.

"What's up?" he asked. She pointed at the ceiling, which earned her a short tickle under the chin.

"I was just thinking about how I could make sure you're always reminded of me."

* * *

The next day, Bella returned to Jacob's house with a box tied up with a ribbon.

"It's not my birthday yet, Bells."

"I know, it's just a present present," she said, smiling as she dropped her kit bag on the floor.

"Okay." He carefully opened the box and placed the items he found inside on the kitchen table. First there was a digital camera.

"Bells…" He looked a little uncomfortable.

"Dad got me a second-hand computer for college. The camera was bundled in with it, and I already have one. Anyway, that's not exactly the present."

Next Jacob set out a scrapbook with the words _'Forget Me Not'_ stencilled on it. The book was locked with a padlock, and he soon found the key inside. He opened the book and stared at it, confused.

"It's empty," he said. Bella smiled and picked up her kit bag.

"Yeah, we're going to fill it with photos," she said, throwing the bag at him. He caught it and unzipped it, his eyes widened.

"That's what the camera's for, see?" she continued as Jacob rifled through the bag, blushing. "You're going to be my photographer, and I'm going to be your muse."

"When you say we're going to fill this scrapbook with photos, you don't mean the sort we can show our folks, right?" Jacob mused, pulling out a silky bodice.

* * *

"See, this just isn't a side of you I never see—"

"I should think not!" Bella retorted.

Abbie merely grinned. "You know, you look really sexy in these shots."

"I felt really sexy, too," she confessed, blushing. Sexy was never a word she would have used to describe herself, no matter how often Jacob did. Until she had clapped eyes on these as they printed them off and stuck them into the scrapbook.

Abbie looked at her carefully.

"I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but do you think perhaps you should try and talk to him?"

"It's over, we've been through this."

Abbie sighed heavily. "Look, you obviously still love him. And, you know, he's got to care about you. Why else would he have gone to all this trouble to return these to you?"

"Because he wants to forget all about me and let me know that?"

"Or," Abbie suggested, "He wants you to know he respects you, and he's looking for a flimsy excuse to open up communication? Trust me, most angry boyfriends who feel hard done by would have this stuff up on Facebook…"

They looked at each other for a moment. Without another word, Abbie fired up Bella's computer. After an agonising ten minutes, she closed down the search engine.

"Nope, nothing there," she insisted.

"Of course there isn't," Bella replied confidently.

Abbie shrugged. "I guess I don't have as much faith in guys as you do. Which is weird, given what happened with Steve—"

"I don't want to talk about that," Bella snapped. The police had taken the whole thing far more seriously than Bella had expected, Steve had actually been arrested and charged with attempted sexual assault. The confession Jacob had forced from Steve, along with his, Abbie and Bella's statements appeared to have held some weight. Not that he was on trial yet. His parents had sprung his bail, and he was still free to wander the campus. Bella did her utmost to avoid being in the same square mile as him.

Abbie frowned at Jacob's note.

"Bella," she said warily.

"What?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

Abbie smiled a little. "You're not the only one shedding tears over this," she said. "Unless you managed to drip wet splodges onto this note that dried within minutes."

* * *

Bella agonised over whether she should just swallow her pride and phone Jacob. In the end, she didn't have to.

A few days later, she stepped into the café near her residence halls, and saw a group of high school students being shown around the area. One of them was unmistakeably Jacob. Feeling foolish, she ducked out of the café, praying he hadn't seen her.

"What's up, Belly?" Frankie asked, squeezing her arm as he caught up with her. Frankie was a freshman and in her English class. He was also gay and unabashedly camp, in the sort of manner Bella had thought only happened in movies.

"Why have they got high school students in there?" she asked.

Frankie peered through the glass on the door. "It's the open day," he said. "Probably for the business school. I showed round the chickadees who had applied to study English yesterday— there was a roster. Why do you care?"

Bella leant against the wall. "My ex is in there," she said.

Frankie peered closer. "Which one's your ex?"

"Umm, there is only one Native American guy there, right?" Bella said sarcastically. It had been common knowledge amongst her college friends— or rather, anyone who met Abbie— that Bella had been dating a chief's son. Abbie treated it like her own version of 'The Jerry Springer Show'.

"Damn, he is fine," Frankie breathed. "Why did you let him slip through your fingers?"

"I don't know," Bella replied honestly.

Frankie glanced at her with not one iota of sympathy. "You don't know," he said darkly. "If I'd dumped a guy that hot, I'd have a damn good reason, sweetie."

"We had a fight, then…" She hadn't told Frankie about the horrible incident at the frat party yet, nor did she have any desire to change that.

"Then what?"

"Then some things happened, and he decided he couldn't deal, and I didn't try to stop him."

Frankie shook his head. "Sorry, girl," he mused, peering through the window again. "If you want him back, you'd better get on it," he said suddenly.

"Why?"

"Because Little Miss Fake-Blonde-Extensions is trying to get his attention."

"What?" Bella rushed to the door and peeked through the glass, spying some blonde girl with too much spray tan touching his arm and smiling at him. She felt fury deep in her veins as she saw Jacob smile back, her heart lurched uncomfortably when he nudged a loose fist against hers in a sickeningly cute congratulatory gesture.

Then he looked up and locked eyes with Bella. She ducked down hurriedly. "Shit, I think he saw me!"

Frankie started to laugh hysterically.

Bella jabbed him in the ribs. "It's not funny," she hissed.

"Oh, it is," he argued. "Be a woman; just go and talk to him!"

"I can't!"

Suddenly, Bella had a brainwave. She was not about to let Jacob Black get the better of her.

"Frankie," she said. "I need your help."

"In what?"

"Do you know what the timetable for the business school open day is?"

Frankie frowned. "I think they stay overnight," he mused. "They have interviews in the afternoon, then they're shown the safe, parent-friendly side of student night life."

"Could you find out for certain, seeing as you've done the volunteering?"

"I'm sure I could… but why?"

"Well, if he's going to flirt with some cheap white trash when we've broke up for all of five minutes, two can play at that game. Can you pretend to be my date tonight?"

Frankie stared at her in disbelief. "Sweetie, nobody is going to believe I would go within six foot of pussy."

"He's from a small village," Bella reasoned.

"Has going out with a younger guy stunted you emotionally? This is a stupid plan!"

"I just want us to sit together at a table in the same café they're in," she insisted.

Frankie shook his head. "Fine, I'll do it," he said. "But only because I like drama."


	12. Chapter Eleven: Playing Games

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella executes her master plan to make Jacob jealous... but she isn't the only one with a few tricks up her sleeve.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Confettirainfall and thejmeyer.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Playing Games**

The open day students were, according to Frankie, spending the evening at the games centre in the union.

"Well, you can't take a bunch of underage students out drinking, let alone a bunch of teenagers," Frankie pointed out over the phone. "Are you still sure this is a good idea?"

"Hey, I can play Nintendo and 'Dance, Dance Revolution' with the best of them," Bella insisted, clutching the receiver between her shoulder and the crook of her neck, holding it against her ear as she stared at her closet in despair.

"What should I wear?" Bella asked sadly.

She heard Frankie tut down the phone. "What are you asking me for?"

"Because I don't have a clue!" Bella insisted. "I want to be sexy, you know? But not too sexy; I don't want to look like I'm trying out for _'Chicago'_ when I'm just going to the HUB. I…" She sighed, feeling her shoulders slump. "I want him to take one look and regret walking out on me, okay?"

"And what? Just because I'm a gay man I'm going to automatically know how to dress you?" Frankie replied acerbically.

Bella felt herself colour up in embarrassment. "I… I'm sorry, Frankie."

She heard him exhale loudly and deliberately down the phone. "Denim skirt, the short fifty percent Lycra one you're always too chicken to wear. White asymmetrical top, no bra. Converse pumps, sneaker socks, no tights. Leather jacket. Ruffle your hair up, wear it loose." He sighed. "And for God's sake, do something about the circles under your eyes. A little make-up never hurt anyone."

"Thanks, Frankie."

"Yeah, well, if you're going to be my beard tonight, I don't want you to show me up," he said, although Bella knew he was smiling on the other end of the phone. "I'll meet you at seven," he added before the phone clicked dead.

Bella quickly grabbed the items of clothing Frankie mentioned and put them on, doing her best to ruffle her hair up in a way that looked remotely sexy and not as though she had been dragged through seven hedges backwards.

"Ooh, you look nice," Abbie enthused, waking into the room with a set of rollers entwined in her impressive mane of hair. "I take it 'Operation: Childish Jealousy' is going ahead, then?"

"Abbie, I've sunk about as low as I can get," Bella retorted. "Dropping my maturity levels won't make much difference."

Abbie merely shrugged. "Well, good luck."

"Where are you off to tonight?" Bella asked as Abbie pulled out a fitted black dress and crimson heels she couldn't imagine being able to stand in, much less walk on.

"Robyn's house party," she explained. "She said she hopes you can come to the next one, by the way. Your month is nearly up."

Bella understood this. Robyn was an underclassman who had explained to her at the beginning of her split with Jacob the same rule she had once heard him espouse: that you get one month— one month to mope and cry over your wrecked relationship and elicit both sympathy and movie nights with romantic comedies, tears and pyjamas. After that, nobody cares.

She grabbed her purse and her leather jacket, and Abbie looked up at her. "Good luck, my crazy paleface friend," she said, fixing a wide red belt around her waist.

"Thanks, my gregarious Indian friend," Bella said, taking a deep breath before opening the door. She felt she was going to need it.

* * *

Frankie was waiting for Bella inside the union, checking his watch impatiently. He looked up just as Bella was shaking her umbrella free from as much water as she could.

"At least you didn't try and wear your parka," he said comfortingly.

Bella glared at him. "Yeah, thanks." She walked up to him, and he gasped.

"You look hot from the neck down, sweetie, but we have got to do something about your face!"

"What's wrong with my face?" Bella protested as Frankie dragged her to the ladies bathroom, pushing the door open and ignoring the shocked expressions on the girls present.

"Sit," he instructed, pointing at the sink area. Bella lifted herself onto the granite style surface as Frankie started delving around in his gadget bag. Before she knew what was happening, he was sweeping a tiny bit of foundation over her nose, forehead and chin, dabbing under her eyes with concealer, then grabbing her chin firmly and placing what Bella could only describe as some kind of torture device close to her eyes.

"Don't move," he instructed as he clamped the device over her eyelashes for a few seconds before slicking some mascara over them and smudging a little eyeliner on the edges of her eyelids.

"Looking better already," he said, rubbing some clear liquid on his fingers and running them through her hair, teasing it up and out, twisting tendrils closer to her face. He then took out some lip gloss.

"You wear more make up than I do," Bella commented, and Frankie gave her the saddest look, as though she were a poor orphan he had picked up off the street in a Dickensian novel.

"That's because you should wear more than none, my dear," he said.

"Jacob never cared if I wore make-up or—"

"Whatever." Frankie cut her off with a practised air. "Now pout for me, sweetie."

"But I don't like lip gloss," she insisted. "It's sticky, and I keep wanting to lick my lips or press them together."

"Exactly," he said. "Not only does the stuff make your lips look bigger, it makes them look wetter and makes you constantly purse them, run your tongue over them, play with them. Basically, he glances over at you doing those things to your lips? He's going to start imagining them wrapped around his cock."

A girl washing her hands in the basin next to them glared at Frankie.

"Like you didn't know," he retorted before slicking a neutral shade of lip gloss over Bella's lips.

"Come on, chickadee," he said, packing his make-up away. "Let's go and shoot some pool."

Bella tucked her arm around his, and they made their way to the games centre. "Why pool?" she asked. "I'm no good at pool."

"There are only two games in this place that involve you bending over and wiggling your ass. Bowling and pool," he explained. "Pool is by far the more sophisticated of the two."

They entered the room, and Bella scanned across it, doing her best to appear as though she were nonchalantly sizing up the atmosphere. It didn't take her long to spot Jacob, cheering on a couple of other high school seniors who were thrashing it out on 'Mario Kart'. Bella noticed, with some alarm, that he was standing next to the same blonde girl with the fake tan from earlier, and they were whispering to each other. He took off his battered leather jacket and Bella saw he was dressed a little differently than usual; his jeans were the same but he was wearing a fitted white t-shirt. Bella turned away, her stomach dropping at the sight of the blonde bombsite's hand trailing appreciatively along Jacob's muscular arm.

"Damn," Frankie muttered next to her, staring at Jacob as much as she was. "Maybe you should just beg? Begging is a vastly underrated seduction tool."

"Stop staring at my boyfriend," Bella hissed.

"I thought he wasn't your boyfriend anymore?" Frankie pointed out.

Bella pushed roughly past him and grabbed a pool cue. "Let's just play, huh?" she said, her voice quavering a little.

Frankie looked at her with sympathy. "You don't really want to make him jealous, do you?" he whispered. "You want him back."

"I…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I do," she said, surprised at how purging the clarification felt.

"So, why did you break up? I mean really?" Frankie asked quietly as he made the break.

"It's… It's really dumb. He got pissy with me for not wanting to talk to him on the phone one night, because I'd decided to go out. I got pissy with him for being so pissy about it. He spent all night phoning me, and I thought he was just checking up on me." She shook her head and lined up a shot against a striped ball. "Turns out he was just trying to apologise." She smiled fondly. "He drove four hours to come and apologise in person, only I was at a frat party."

"Oh, shit," Frankie hissed, a devilish grin on his face. "What did he catch you doing?"

Bella tried to think up a reasonable lie on the spot, something that wasn't her greatest skill. With a shrug, she decided to tell the truth. Frankie was bound to find out once the case went to trial anyway.

"Almost being drug raped?" Bella replied as nonchalantly as she could, as she hit the cue ball but predictably missed her shot.

"Fuck!" Frankie shouted loudly enough for half the student present to turn around. Bella noticed Jacob had, and their eyes met for a moment before he looked away quickly.

"What... Shit. Belly, are you okay?" Frankie's expression was one of concerned horror.

"Yeah, Jake and Abbie found me before… before I got myself into a situation I couldn't get out of. The police are handling it, so… yeah."

"Wait, how can they prove it? Did they do a blood test or something?"

"No," Bella replied. "Jake sort of… Well, let's just say he got the guy to admit to it, and leave it there."

Frankie shook his head, partly in disbelief, partly in disgust on Bella's behalf. He laughed. "Well, at least I know to avoid any bastards I see swathed in bandages, right?"

"Your turn," Bella said, pointing at the baize and changing the subject.

"So, that still doesn't really answer why you split up," he urged.

Bella sighed. "He couldn't deal with it. I don't understand, because he stayed with me all night— not that I remember any of this, but Abbie told me so. Then we had an argument. He said if I was going to do this kind of thing, he couldn't handle it. And that was that."

"Okay, that's just… weird," Frankie settled on. "It's hardly your fault."

"I know, but he didn't claim it was. I just don't get it," Bella replied. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Frankie sighed before lining up a shot and effortlessly potting the stripe Bella had missed.

"Maybe… He is just a kid," he commented. "I'd have freaked, knowing all that at his age."

Bella nodded. "Maybe," she agreed as Frankie potted another stripe, followed by the cue ball.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. "Your turn, Belly."

At that moment, the blonde dragged Jacob over to the adjoining pool table, her hand wrapped around his.

"Come on, Jake," she cooed. "I've always wanted to play pool. Finally someone can teach me!"

"Don't forget to bend from the waist," Frankie whispered in Bella's ear.

Struggling to concentrate on her shot, Bella found herself distracted by Jacob and his orange companion whispering and giggling.

"I can't do it," the girl insisted.

"Sure you can," Jacob said.

Bella looked up to see him position himself around the blonde, holding her hands around the pool cue, his arms along hers, moving her. "See, you just need to line it up and hit it carefully."

They cheered as the colour was potted.

"See, now I'm just going to lose—"

"Yeah, right!" She giggled. No; she didn't just giggle, she giggled coquettishly. Bella started to grind her teeth, and she hit the cue ball angrily, striking it so hard, it bounced off the cushion and onto their pool table.

"Whoa! Okay, now I feel better about my playing," the girl said as Jacob picked up the cue ball and turned around. He started a little at the sight of Bella.

"Hi, Bella," he said quietly.

"Hi."

"Umm, I think this is yours." He handed the cue ball out, their fingers brushing as she took it.

"Thanks," she replied. It felt wrong not holding him, not kissing him. Not doing other things.

She turned away quickly, only to see Frankie glaring at her.

"Idiot," he hissed. "Talk to him!"

With a quickening heart, she turned to glance over her shoulder at him, but he was already engaged in part two of his flirty pool tutorial. Bella did her best to ignore it and instead bent over to take her next shot.

"Hey, come on, Jake. I think I should try it for myself."

"Really? You don't want me to hold your hand?" He sounded almost hurt. It made Bella want to vomit.

"Well, when you put it like that."

"Aww, I wouldn't want to ruin your progress."

"Okay, stand back, mister…"

Something hard smacked against Bella's ass, and she yelped, jumping up and missing her shot yet again, nudging the cue ball a pathetic couple of inches, touching no other ball.

Blondie was giggling.

"I'm so sorry!" she called out, hiding behind Jacob who was also sniggering.

"Watch where you're putting that thing next time," Bella spat back.

Jacob sauntered over, gesturing for the Terry's Chocolate Orange to stay put. "Sorry, Bella," he said. "She's kind of new to this."

"I see you're getting to know her quite well," Bella said snippily. "Does she have a name?"

"Tina," he replied affably.

"Well, I'm glad you and Tina are getting on so well. Didn't take you long, did it?" she snapped, unable to stop the words jumping from her lips.

Jacob looked at her icily. "I could say the same for you," he replied, looking in Frankie's direction.

"Yeah, well. That's good for both of us, isn't it?"

Jacob nodded and walked away. Bella breathed a sigh of relief, until he turned around.

"I'd be more convinced if he didn't keep checking out my ass!" Jacob called from across the other pool table as Tina bit her knuckle in a failed attempt to hide her giggles.

Bella slammed the pool cue down and glared at Frankie.

"Sorry, Belly," he said guiltily.

She whirled around at the sound of Jacob and Tina's laughter; they quietened as she glared at them, biting her lip and trying not to cry. Jacob turned away quickly, focusing on the pool table. Tina stroked her hand up and down his back as he lined up a shot, whispering to him.

Frankie was concentrating on hitting the cue ball against a cushion; he was squinting and practically stretched across the whole table. Bella leant against it, watching Jacob with her arms folded as he missed his shot by miles.

"You got a problem?" he asked of Bella, folding his arms and staring angrily at her.

"Why would I have a problem?" she retorted. "Why would I care that you're hanging around at my college—"

"Your college?" he snorted.

Bella took a step towards him. "Yes, my college. Flirting with some girl right under my nose, rubbing my face in it—"

"Rubbing _your_ face in it?" He stepped towards her and laughed coldly. "You're the one who came here with some guy just to make a point! You're the one who didn't even try to stop me walking out of your room. You're the one who went running off to the first guy who paid you any attention when we had a fight!"

"Oh, so now we're getting to the real problem! I was just talking to him!" Bella protested. "I wasn't going to do anything…"

They stared at each other; an unspoken retort hung in the air.

'_If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have had a choice!'_

Neither party said it.

"Jealousy isn't a big turn on for a girl, you know," Bella retorted.

Jacob smirked. "Says someone who's pitching a hissy fit at me for playing pool with another chick," he threw back. "It's not my fault if you can't stop thinking about me!"

Unable to contain her fury, and for reasons she never quite understood, Bella was so incensed that she grabbed her glass of soda and threw the contents over Jacob.

Frankie and Tina stared in shock, occasional abrupt laughter escaping their lips. Jacob calmly wiped his face with his hand, his t-shirt stained with the dark brown liquid.

"Wow. That was mature, Bella," he said as she started to shake, slamming her glass down.

"You must be rubbing off on me," she spat back, and this time, Jacob upended his soda glass over her head.

"You bastard!" she yelled, the liquid dripping through her hair and soaking through her top. By this point, both Frankie and Tina were unable to stop laughing.

Feeling tears sting her eyes, Bella turned on her heel and made to walk away, wanting to cry somewhere private, at least.

"I've not stopped thinking about you, Bella," Jacob called after her. She stopped and turned around. His face was vulnerable, sad. He chewed his lip; his hands were thrust in his pockets.

"I miss you, honey," he said quietly.

Abbie was right. One of them had to say it. Bella cursed herself for not having the guts to do it first.

Instead she ran up to Jacob and grabbed his face in her hands, pulling him to her level and crashing her lips to his so hard, she thought she might have cut her lip on his teeth. His hands pressed against her, pulling her tightly against him as he kissed her back passionately, his lips sliding against the wet gloss, nudging her lips apart so his tongue, his breath, could slip inside her.

"I'm sorry, Bells," he whispered when they finally pulled apart. "I'm sorry I was a jackass."

"I'm sorry, Jake," she replied breathlessly, feeling tears roll down her cheek. "I'm so, so sorry."

He wiped the tears away with his thumb, smiling tenderly at her before gripping the small of her back and crushing her against him again, his fingers in her wet sticky hair, his lips on hers.

She didn't want to stop him; she didn't care who saw. She wanted him closer, tried to hook her legs around him with little success until he lifted her up and she could grip around his waist.

"Let's go, honey," he whispered in her ear. "I want to be alone with you."

* * *

Alone ended up being against a rough concrete wall of the Ethnic Cultural Centre in the pouring rain. The irony wasn't lost on Bella.

"Jake, please. I want you so bad," she moaned into his ear, his hands roaming every inch of her body, fabric squelching as he moved.

"What did you miss, honey?" he panted back, pressing hungry kisses along her neck.

"You. This." Her hand trailed over his crotch. "That."

He smiled against her skin, nipping her ear gently, causing her to gasp.

"Oh God, I want you to fuck me, Jake," she begged.

Jacob looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Since when did you get so dirty?" he joked.

"Since we've spent almost a month not as a couple," she replied breathlessly, grinding her hips against him, the pressure of heavy denim stitched seams against the soft cotton of her panties almost too much to bear.

Suddenly, Jacob pushed both his legs between hers, ceasing her actions.

"Jake!" she demanded hotly, pouting at him.

He locked his eyes on hers, his gaze intense, boring into her. "Uh uh, honey. Only one thing around here is going to make you come tonight," he insisted, his voice thick with lust as he took her wrists in his hands and pressed them to the wall above her head, holding her steady with just one hand. "And that's me, when I choose."

The tender kiss her placed to her lips was maddening. Bella shuddered with pleasure as he ran the tip of his tongue along her earlobe.

"Since when did you get so masterful?" Bella queried, although it came out as more of a whimper.

"Since you got so dirty," he whispered against her hair, his free hand trailing along her bare arm and over her collar bone.

"I'm not above begging," Bella whispered back.

"That's good to know, honey."

"Please, please fuck me," she begged again.

"You'll have to ask nicely," Jacob teased.

"I did. I said please."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Oh, you're killing the mood," Bella said between giggles.

"Am I?" Jacob asked, just as he ran his fingers softly between her legs, along the creases where thigh met panties, so lightly she barely felt it and tried to buck her hips closer to his hand.

"Bella, behave," Jacob chided, although the look in his eyes suggested he wasn't going to be able to take much more of his teasing games.

"Make me," she said defiantly. He merely smiled, dropping one hand from her shoulder but kept his other hand wrapped around her wrists.

"If you're not going to play nice—"

"Okay, okay. I'll be a good girl for you, Jake. Promise," she quickly replied, breathing heavily, biting her lip in a way she knew set his nerves on fire.

"Sure, honey," he said, peeling the wet fabric of her top up her stomach with his free hand. "You're always such a good girl…"

He peeled the fabric further up, rubbing against her nipples as he exposed her bare breasts to the night air. She felt her breath catch in her throat.

"That's it, honey," he whispered encouragingly. "Sing for me."

His fingers explored her newly bared skin as he kissed along her throat and skimmed her bunched up top, his lips soon finding her ever-darkening areola.

"Jake!" She felt close to screaming.

"Maybe you should sing more quietly, honey," Jake whispered. "Don't get me wrong, I love it when you're loud, but we don't want to attract an audience."

"Then hurry up," she growled. "I can't take much more."

Jacob stopped what he was doing and looked at her, a devilish grin on his face.

"I'm sure you could take a lot more," he whispered, suddenly pressing a hot wet kiss to her lips, heavy with want.

"But I'm not sure I can," he finished, his free hand swiftly on her thighs before delicately resting between them. Bella moaned into his hair, gritting her teeth as he teased her with his touch, pulling away when she tried to get closer. Eventually, he slid his hand inside her panties.

"Oh, honey," he murmured. "You really need it, don't you?"

Bella could only nod as he began pulling her panties down her thighs until they passed her knees and dropped to the floor.

"Good girls like you always get what they need—"

Bella couldn't help it and burst out laughing. Jacob pressed his forehead against her, he too was sniggering.

"I'm trying to be dark, sexy and masculine, Bells. Ravishing your wilful feminine senses until you forget your own name," he insisted. "The idea is that the ravishee doesn't laugh."

"I think the ravisher is supposed to keep a straight face, too…" Bella's witty retort melted into a guttural moan of desire as Jacob silenced her critique with his well-placed fingers.

"That's right, honey," he said huskily between the hot claiming kisses he slicked along her neck. "Now, who's in charge?"

Bella was sure that under any other circumstances, such a comment would have elicited a smack to the chest, or an irritated retort along the lines of how the only thing Jacob was in charge of was his Rabbit.

At this moment, however, the only response that seemed right and proper to Bella was to whimper, "Oh, you are, baby, you are!" over and over until his name fluttered from her lips like a prayer when he bit down on the part of her skin where neck met shoulder, just hard enough to leave a slight indentation.

He pulled away suddenly; his hand left her wanting more but instead moved to his lips, where he sucked at his fingers, watching her intently. She knew that look; he was memorising every nuance he could about her in that moment, rain pouring down on her, top hitched up just over her breasts, her panties around her ankles. Her cheeks flushed a little at the realisation.

Then he let her go, moving his legs away from between hers and releasing her wrists from his grip.

"Wha… what's the matter, Jacob?" she asked quietly as he absently flexed his hand.

"Have I been bad?" she further enquired, keeping at their little game.

He looked up at her, smiling darkly. "You've been very bad, Miss Swan," he said. "Now, give me your panties."

Obediently, Bella bent down and retrieved said garments from around her ankles and held them out to him. He took them silently, caressing them between his fingers momentarily before stuffing them in the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He felt around for a little longer and pulled out a wrapped condom, holding it casually between his index and middle finger as though it were an oddly shaped cigarette.

"Very good," he enthused before gesturing towards what he had in his hands. "You know what to do."

Bella nodded and took the condom from him, but not before he grabbed her hand and kissed it, slipping his lips around her forefinger and sucking from base to tip. She felt herself shudder.

"Now who needs to behave," she pointed out in barely a whisper, as she sank down to her knees and began unbuckling his belt, sliding the leather apart until the circle was broken into a line. A sharp tug brought his jeans down a little over his buttocks, then she carefully peeled his underpants down, just enough to gain access and the excuse to trail her fingers over secret places that made Jacob grunt through his teeth in pleasure.

Then, her party piece, albeit one she was not inclined to show anybody else. Carefully, she tore the wrapped of the condom and popped it in her mouth, pursing her lips so she could slide the whole thing over his penis.

"Jesus, Bells…" Jacob's hand instinctively began stroking her head affectionately. She had to finish the task with her hands— as far as Bella was concerned, she had a gag reflex for a reason— but once she was done, she pressed a delicate kiss to his right thigh.

"Stand up," Jacob ordered, and she complied.

"Against the wall," he urged, and again, Bella did as she was told, not breaking eye contact as she coyly backed herself against the concrete wall.

"Anything else?" she enquired saucily, her palms pressed against the rough concrete.

Jacob stepped towards her, almost touching her, his body millimetres apart from hers. He leant his face close to her left ear but did not touch.

"Spread your legs," he breathed.

She did so without question, and within moments, he had her wrists pinned against the wall with one hand, the other wrapped around the small of her back and was thrusting deep inside her. She tried not to moan too loudly as she wrapped her legs around him and ground her hips to meet his rhythm, his hand stopping her from rubbing her bare back against the hard concrete, her skirt riding up over her butt as a result of her movement.

Jacob let her hands go suddenly and wrapped his newly freed arm firmly around her, holding her steady against him. She flung her arms around his neck and shoulders, clinging on tightly, forgetting about keeping her movement steady and instead rushing madly towards their inevitable conclusion.

As Bella began to scream her release, Jacob hastily clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Shh, honey," he urged quietly, dipping his fingers into her mouth. She grazed them with her teeth, sucking the digits before biting down hard enough to make him wince but in a way that suggested he enjoyed it. Her eyes closed, her sounds were muffled and she sank against the wall.

They pulled apart, both looked at each other, and burst into giggles.

"I can't believe I said that," Jacob muttered, shaking his head with amusement.

"Said what?"

"Oh, any of it, really. That was just…" He laughed as Bella rested her head against his chest and laughed against it.

"In context, it was pretty hot," she said, pressing a kiss to his throat as she felt him pull her skirt back over her thighs.

"You were scorching," Jacob insisted, while pulling her top back down to cover her breasts and midriff.

"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry," Bella whispered deliriously as he tucked himself back into his underpants and began doing up his jeans. "I'll never want anything but you, ever, ever, ever—"

"Not even your panties, honey?" he offered.

"Okay, maybe I want those back," she admitted as Jacob pulled them out of his pocket and handed them back to her, letting her hold onto him as she put them back on.

"Your knees are all dirty," he commented, tenderly rubbing the grit off her skin.

Bella shrugged. "I'd better have a shower when we get back."

"We?"

"Well, I was sort of hoping you'd stay with me tonight."

"It's the best offer I've had all day," Jacob agreed, kissing her on the cheek as they slipped their arms around each other and walked away from the cultural centre.

Suddenly, Bella stopped.

"Shit!" she hissed. "Do they have security cameras around there?"

Jacob laughed. "I hope not," he replied as Bella buried her face against his chest.

* * *

Clad in her baggy night shirt and a pair of worn bed socks, Bella kicked at her dorm room door, her hands full with two cups of hot chocolate. Jacob opened it, peering cautiously around the door frame.

"Hey, Bells," he whispered, holding the door open for her as she walked inside.

They had to be careful. He wasn't supposed to be in Mercer Hall, much less a freshman's dorm room. Tina had snuck out from their lodgings to hand him his overnight bag with a wink and a, "Glad you two sorted it out. He talked about you most of the day. I could have cried; he was so sad…"

Bella instantly felt awful for thinking all those horrible things about her.

"Thanks," Jacob said as Bella handed him one of the cups, and they sat on her bed. He put the cup down momentarily to unwrap the towel from around his head, letting his damp hair fall onto his bare shoulders.

"I'm sorry about Tina," Bella conceded. "I mean, I wasn't exactly very nice to her."

Jacob laughed. "Relax, Bells. She knew what she was doing. She saw me pining after you in the cafeteria at lunchtime, after she saw you watching me. I ended up spilling my guts, and she decided you just needed a little… encouragement."

"Wait, that whole stunt was her idea?" Bella asked, incredulous.

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Do you really think hanging around with some chick to make you jealous is the sort of thing I'd usually do?"

"Good point." It really wasn't his style.

"I'd have said it wasn't something I'd do." She looked at the quilt. "I guess love can make you a little crazy, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Jacob agreed with a shy smile. Bella sipped at her hot chocolate and shifted a little closer to him so she could feel the fabric of his sweatpants against her bare legs.

He put his arm around her comfortingly. "So, do we agree not to do anything so dumb ever again?"

Bella nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. "Agreed," she conceded before looking up at him. "I think we need to talk, though."

Jacob looked terrified. "Wait. You don't mean a talk that ends in us splitting up forever, right?"

"Of course not," she said, squeezing his arm. "I just think… There was a lot of anger between us, a lot of hurt." She pause, chewing her lip. "A lot of unanswered questions."

"Shoot," Jacob said, his face open and unguarded.

"I'm sorry I was a bitch," Bella began. "I've been trying to balance lectures with making friends and having a social life. I haven't met many people in relationships. They all go out and do things… I didn't want to be left out of that, you know? When you freaked over me going out that night, I freaked because you did. I… I guess I'm just trying to understand where you were coming from." She smiled gently at him. "You've never been the jealous type before. Sure, you'll kick a guy's ass if he tries to hurt me but not if he pays me attention."

Jacob sighed wearily, his expression suddenly closed. "I'm sorry, Bells," he said. "I… I just went a bit crazy. It was stupid. Won't happen again." He help up three fingers, tucking his little finger behind his thumb. "Scout's honour."

"Jake," Bella said, looking him in the eye. "Talk to me. Why did you go a bit crazy? Is there anything I can do to help? I don't want to lose you, ever. I just… I just need this, too."

"I know." He ducked away from her gaze and stared at the flecked curtains. Bella didn't push him, merely stroked his arm tenderly, up and down, threading her fingers through his damp hair, nuzzling against his shoulder.

Eventually, he put his cup down and turned to face Bella, wrapping his hands around her arms. "I've… There's been some stuff going on, back home."

"What do you mean?"

Jacob took a deep breath. "Some of the elders have got pretty vocal about me— about us. They're so happy you've gone to college; they kept acting like we've already broken up, trying to set me up with their daughters, Makah girls, anyone." He shook his head. "I've spent the past two months constantly telling girls that I'm not single. Disappointed girls, upset girls, you know? I'm not trying to make out I'm all that, but these guys are telling them I'm interested. You ask them to stop, and they're all, _'You'll come round, son. So-and-so's a real catch. She won't run off to college and marry a lawyer.'_ It's been getting me down. Then we had that fight—"

Bella squeezed his hand, a little too tightly. "I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't, Bells." Jacob was smiling kindly at her. "I tried really hard to make sure of it."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to bother you with it. You were settling into college, you didn't need my problems on top of all that."

Bella leant forward and kissed Jacob's lips tenderly. "Martyr," she said, pressing a chaste kiss to the tip of his nose. "What did I say about not keeping things like this from me?"

"That was different," Jacob replied. "I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up in case the scholarship thing fell through."

Bella leant her head against Jacob's shoulder.

"I don't get it," she said. "I mean, I don't get them. I know, like, Paul isn't happy about us, but why do the elders care? Do they think I'm going to take you away from La Push?" She smirked a little and nudged him in the ribs. "Do they even know you?"

Jacob sighed heavily. "Blood quotients," he replied.

"Blood what?"

"Blood quotients." Jacob sat up a little. "You know not just anybody can be a member of the Quileute tribe, right?"

"Right."

"And that it's an official thing, with paperwork and certificates and all that jazz?"

"Sure." Bella remembered hearing one of Charlie's retired former colleagues reminisce years ago about his first trip up to La Push on duty, and how the elders wouldn't let him onto their land because he didn't have the right documentation.

"Well," Jacob continued, "it means that someone can't become a tribe member just because we like them. There's all sorts of weird criteria you have to meet, and one of them is that you have to have a certain proportion of Quileute blood."

"Like how the Nazis deemed whether someone was too Jewish to live?"

"Kind of, but don't say that in front of… well, anyone but me," Jacob advised.

Bella felt herself blush with shame. "I didn't mean–"

"I know you didn't, Hon. Anyway, the point is if you don't have enough Indian blood, you can't be a tribe member; that's not a Quileute rule, it's a federal controlled thing." He took a deep breath and glanced up at the ceiling. "So, if we got married and had kids, they would be half Indian and half white, right? And if their husbands or wives were white, our grandkids would be a quarter Indian and three-quarter white, you get me?"

"And in a few generations time, they wouldn't be legally recognised as Quileute," Bella finished, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly helpless.

"Exactly." He sighed. "It's either a really nasty way of wiping us all out so the government can get their hands on our land, or a way of punishing us for assimilating, which they claimed to have wanted in the first place. Whatever, it's bullshit. But we're kind of stuck with it."

"So, the more serious we are, the more the elders worry about losing your lineage?" Bella asked, although she had figured out the answer for herself. She felt astounded by her own ignorance; how could she have never realised there were these sorts of political factors attempting to invade their relationship?

Jacob nodded. "But I'll handle it," he said firmly. "Even if I have to march on Washington for decades to try and get the law changed for our theoretical great great great grandkids; I'd do it for you."

Bella didn't know what to say to convey her amazement at his dedication to her, to the both of them, so instead she kissed him on the cheek. He held her hand in both of his and stared at his lap, suddenly looking sad.

"Come on, Jake," Bella coaxed. "What else? You said you couldn't deal with me partying–"

"It's not the partying," he snapped.

Bella stared at him. "Jake?"

"It's nothing."

"Jake." Bella's tone was serious, warning. She tried to make him look at her, but he wouldn't. Instead, Bella put her arms tenderly around him and rested her head against his shoulder.

"You can tell me anything, okay? Good or bad," she whispered against his skin.

Eventually, he turned to face her, but his eyes were wet and heavy.

"I'm sorry, Bells," he said quietly. "I couldn't handle it."

"Handle what?" she asked gently, sitting up so she could look at him properly.

"You, drunk," he said. "I know that's not what it was, in the end, but I could smell it on you. It's poison, that stuff, absolute poison. All I've ever seen it do is ruin lives."

He burst into tears, and the only thing Bella could think to do was pull him to her, cradle him against his chest and let him sob against her as he brokenly shared dark secrets about his mom wrapped around a steering wheel, statue still while a man staggered dazed onto the road, a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag in his hand. About finding his old Gym teacher drowned in the showers when he was just eleven, vomit and blood on the tiled floor, the elders shaking their heads as though it were an unavoidable accident. About he and Quil at thirteen, hidden in the Black's garage, clumsily fixing up Embry's eye by lantern light, pulling out shards of glass from his eyebrow and hair while his mom's boyfriend raged outside.

Bella pulled him down with her onto the bed and held him so tightly she thought he might break, kissing his hair desperately, hoping to take his pain away.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay," she choked as she shamelessly spilled tears for him. "You can tell me. You can tell me anything, and I'll be here, okay? I'll always be here for you."

"Leah says we should get out, just get the fuck away," he whispered as Bella wiped his tears away from his cheeks.

She shook her head. "I know you," she replied. "You don't want to leave it behind. You want to fix it."

He pressed his lips to her temple and held her close. "You know me so well," he said, wiping his eyes before kissing away her tears. "And I'm sorry."

"Jake, you're my guy. You can cry all you want. Special boyfriend dispensation," she said, with a gentle smile.

Jacob shook his head. "I don't mean about that," he said firmly. "I mean about…. About what happened, at that frat party." He didn't elaborate; Bella didn't need him to.

"Jake, that wasn't your fault," she insisted, but Jacob shook his head again, cupping her face with his hand.

"I should have been there for you after," he said simply. "I was too busy freaking out over what could have happened, that I didn't even stop to think about what you must have been going through, just ploughed on ahead doing my 'Rambo' shit. Trying to make myself feel better, I guess, by doing something… I really let you down, Bells. I'm supposed to be your best friend, and I didn't exactly act like it."

Stunned by his admission, Bella felt fresh tears sting her eyes. She really could have done with him by her side through the aftermath, but she couldn't see how pointing the finger would have helped matters. The fact he did it himself meant something to her.

"You saved me, Jake. I dread to think what would have happened if you hadn't been there, and I never did say thank you," she said as she felt Jacob kiss away her tears.

"Honey, you don't have to," Jacob replied, but Bella hushed him with a tender kiss on the lips.

"I want to," she said, leaning flush against him and stroking his cheek with the palm of her hand. "I've never had a knight in shining armour before."

"I wouldn't go that far, Bells." A pink flush had crept over his cheeks.

"I would," she replied, resting her head against his chest. "And you can be here for me now, right."

Jacob kissed her forehead. "I will. Always," he promised.

Bella smiled against his chest as they lay together, holding each other and saying nothing.

"Let's never fight again," Bella eventually said, punctuating their comfortable silence.

Jacob shrugged. "I don't know, Bells. Our making up session was pretty hot."

Feeling her cheeks flush red, Bella gently smacked her hand against his chest. "Jake!"

"You were a sexy sub. I liked it."

"You're too young to know what a sub is."

"Maybe we should switch next time? I think you'd be just as good as a Dom." He raised his eyebrows and propped himself up so he was hovering over her, his damp hair ticking her neck.

"Not tonight, baby," she said. "I'm beat."

He shrugged. "Sure, sure, honey," he said happily, pulling the covers over them both as they squeezed against each other in an attempt to fit in Bella's single bed.

* * *

Bella awoke to find her whole head vibrating. She soon realised it was Jacob's chest, her pillow for the night, shaking with his deep throaty laughter, although this wasn't the only sound in the room. The higher pitched giggle was unmistakeably Abbie.

"Yeah, she does that," Jacob whispered.

"I know. It scared the shit out of me our first night," Abbie replied. Bella heard the dull thud of shoes hitting the floor, Abbie kicking off one of her pumps, then another.

"I think it's cute," Jacob declared.

"What's going on?" she mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Jacob's hand stroked her hair. "Sorry, honey. I didn't mean to wake you."

She sat up and looked at him, then at Abbie before turning back to Jacob. "Okay, what did I say?"

Jacob and Abbie glanced at each other before bursting into laughter again.

"You… I… Oh, Jake, you're going to have to tell her." Abbie dissolved into more fits of giggles.

"You were mumbling incoherently, then suddenly you shouted out, _'The fucking Care Bears shot Kennedy!'_ What was that about?" he asked, sniggering.

Bella clamped her hand to her head. "I have no idea," she admitted. "I don't even remember." She shrugged, defeated.

Jacob kissed her temple. "It's okay, honey," he said. "Go back to sleep. We've got a couple more hours."

"Can't we just stay awake?" Bella suggested, running her hands up and down Jacob's chest. "I don't want to go back to sleep with you here."

"Hey, not when I'm in the room!" Abbie snapped. "You had plenty of time to fuck when I was out."

Bella and Jacob looked at each other and promptly burst into giggles.

Abbie rolled her eyes. "If this is what you're like after seven weeks without it, Bella, am I just going to have to move out every weekend?"

"We'll find a way," Bella insisted.

Jacob grinned. "Hey, Abbie. Do you know whether they have security cameras outside the Ethnic Cultural Centre?" he asked.

Abbie looked at them both for a moment and shook her head. "You two are unbelievable," she replied before taking her pyjamas and make-up remover out to the bathrooms.

* * *

"Well, don't you two look happy?" Tina commented airily as she broke away from the group of high school students eating breakfast in the cafeteria near Lander Hall.

Bella felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. Tina eyed her curiously but said nothing.

"No one noticed, Jake," she said. "I told Adam you were running late."

"Who's Adam?" Bella asked.

"Oh, he's our guardian for the visit," Jacob explained. "An upperclassman majoring in business studies."

"You'd better get your ass over here for breakfast," Tina warned, looking past the two of them at something else. Bella turned around and saw she was looking at a guy not much older than her with brown shaggy hair and a patchy beard. Not exactly what she would have expected from the business school.

"Hey, come and join us, Bells," Jacob insisted, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the others. "You can tell us all about what it's like here," he said proudly.

He offered Bella a seat next to him and Tina.

"Hey guys," he said. "This is Bella. She's a freshman here, studying English. She can tell us all the stuff they don't want us to know," he added, with a wink.

The other high school students looked at Jacob, looked at Bella, looked at their interlocking fingers and looked at each other in impressed disbelief.

"Whoa, dude!" one of the guys exclaimed, a stocky guy whom Bella would have put money on being a sports scholarship student. "You've been here, like, one night and you've already pulled a student!" He raised his hand in an obvious request for Jacob to high-five him.

"Relax, dude," Jacob replied. "She's my girlfriend from back home."

The guy nodded in understanding.

Jacob grinned. "Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. My cred would have been through the roof."

The other students laughed, and Bella knew she would be almost jealous of Jacob's easy-going confidence, except that he always shared it with her.

"So, come on, Bells. I'll get you something to eat, and you can give these guys the inside scoop on student life," he said, kissing the top of her head before walking towards the self-service stand.

"So," Tina asked. "What's the party scene like around here?"

Bella shrugged. "It's pretty cool. Don't try and go to the bars, though. They'll spot fake IDs in an instant. I know a few people who've had them confiscated, seems pretty normal. House parties and dorm parties are the way to go around here."

"What about the frat parties?" the sports scholarship guy asked, and Bella felt herself cringe.

"Yeah… Be careful is what I'd say," she replied. "Just assume all guys there are creeps, and you'll probably be fine."

"What's the sports scene like?" another guy asked.

"I'm not much of a fan," Bella admitted. "But some of my friends here are, and they think it's pretty good. They're into football and basketball, though, and they all get pretty hyped up about it. I don't know about the other sports."

They continued in this vein for a short while, Bella pausing only when Jacob put some cereal, toast and a glass of orange juice in front of her, along with a plate of scrambled eggs and sausages.

"Jake, I'm not going to eat all of that!" she postulated.

Jacob grinned and kissed her cheek. "Thought you might be hungry after last night," he whispered, and Bella felt herself blush scarlet. She also noticed Tina struggling to hide her mirth, having clearly heard every word.

"So, you found us then, Jacob?" Adam commented lazily, sitting down in a nearby empty seat. "Thought you might have got lost."

Jacob sighed heavily. "Adam, the morning is a very important time of day for my people, spiritually speaking," he said solemnly.

Adam coloured up instantly. "Sorry, man," he mumbled. "I had no idea."

The other students giggled.

"I'm just messing with you, dude," Jacob replied quickly, slapping him on the back. "Honestly, I just snuck off to say hi to my girlfriend here."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you play that race card," he admonished jokingly to a grinning Jacob before glancing over at Bella.

"I haven't seen you around the business school before," he said.

"No, I'm majoring in English," she replied. Adam nodded, while the other high school students slowly turned to have their own discussions.

"Oh, I see. That's kind of a pity," he admitted.

"Why?" Bella felt uncomfortable by this turn in conversation.

Adam merely smiled. "Because we could probably do with someone to keep your boyfriend in check," he teased.

"Come on, man," Jacob replied. "That's if I even get offered a place."

He and Adam stared at each other, but fortunately the other students hadn't noticed what Bella had.

Adam knew Jacob had already been accepted.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Shifting Priorities

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **A fun day at a college basketball match takes a turn for the worse when Bella and Jacob get some horrifying news.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Confettirainfall and thejmeyer.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Shifting Priorities**

Bella turned the key in the lock to the house she was currently sharing with Jacob, Abbie, Frankie and Tina. It was only a four bedroom house, but Bella and Jacob shared a room at half rent between them; plus they got money back because Jacob acted as caretaker to the place, fixing all the jobs that needed doing, for which Mrs Compton, the old lady who owned the building, was eternally grateful.

They were living together as a couple. A proper couple who did grocery shopping together, and came home to tell each other about their lectures that day, and sometimes argued over who used up the conditioner and had the kind of sex that mildly irritated every other member of the shared house. Bella preferred this to Frankie's request for them to make more noise, because they were better than any porno.

"_Porn is porn, chickadee. Straight or gay, if there's a guy involved, I'm happy."_

She had smacked him.

"Jake? You home yet, baby?" she called from the hallway. There was no reply, but she could hear desperate panting from the kitchen, the unmistakeable sign of love making, or at the very least, simple screwing.

This was awkward. Bella had bought a cheesecake that really needed to be refrigerated.

"Oh, oh yeah, baby. Don't stop!"

Bella felt her heart physically stop. That was Jacob's voice.

Shaking, she dropped the groceries and rushed towards the closed kitchen door, her hand resting on the handle, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh, Jake! Oh, that feels so good."

Abbie?

Bella wanted to throw up. Abbie was one of her best friends. Jacob was, well, he was her everything.

Clutching the handle, she threw the door wide open and was able to put a picture to the sounds she could hear. They were both naked, utterly naked, on the kitchen table.

Abbie threw her head back as she moaned in ecstasy.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bella screamed at the top of her voice. Jacob and Abbie, still screwing, craned their heads to look at her.

"Oh, hey Bella," Jacob said nonchalantly, his hips grinding away.

"What? Don't you, _'Hi, Bella'_ me!" she demanded.

"Bella, could you just wait until I've… Oh God, that's the spot…" Abbie seemed to melt into Jacob's arms.

Bella felt tears flow down her cheeks.

"I can't believe… you two—"

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic," Jacob said with a chuckle. "Abbie's just better at this than you."

"You bastards!" Bella was sobbing helplessly by now.

Abbie rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Bella. What did you expect? Me verses the skinny white girl. Who did you think was going to come out better?"

"Bella?" Jacob's voice sounded oddly far away. "Bells, honey. Are you okay? Wake up, honey…"

* * *

Bella sat bolt upright and nearly knocked Jacob out as her forehead connected with his.

"Honey, you're awake," he said, rubbing his head before reaching out to her. She grabbed the covers and pulled them up to her chest, not wanting him to see her naked body.

"Honey? What's the matter?" He chuckled gently. "I honestly thought you were crying in your sleep, now that's a new one."

"I'm fine," she ground out through her teeth, recoiling from his touch.

Jacob looked at her, bewildered. "No you're not. You're… you really are crying." He tried to wipe her tears away with his thumb, but Bella pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed.

Jacob looked taken aback. "Honey? Is this about last night? You know I'm not allowed to, you know, perform the night before a match." He tentatively reached out to trace his fingers along her bare back. "But I'll make it up to you tonight—"

"Leave me alone!" Bella demanded, jumping out of their bed and grabbing her dressing gown for modesty.

Jacob looked at her in utter confusion. "Bella, what's the matter?" he begged.

"You cheated on me!" she wailed, unable to stop herself from crying.

Jacob looked beyond hurt. "Honey, I would never do that. I love you; you're the only girl for me—"

"In my dream," Bella added between sobs.

Jacob's hurt expression switched to confusion. "Wait, what?"

"I just had a dream where you cheated on me," she said, sniffling.

"Wait a second. You're pissed at me because you _dreamed_ I was cheating on you?" His face struggled to hide a smile, but he failed and burst into hysterical laughter.

"You insensitive bastard!" she screamed.

"I'm sorry, Bells, but… it was a dream. I can't control your dreams."

Feeling hurt and humiliated, Bella grabbed her clothes for the day and went to storm out of the room.

"Oh, honey. Where are you going?" Jacob asked from the comfort of the bed.

"To take a shower," she replied.

"Can I…?"

"Alone!" she roared to make the point. Slamming the bedroom door behind her, she scurried to the bathroom, locked the door and turned on the shower, stripping off her dressing gown and washing her hair and her body under the hot water.

The longer she stood under the water, the less she cried and the sillier she felt. It had just been a dream… but it had felt so real. Bella dreaded to think how she'd react if such a thing ever happened for real. Throw herself off that cliff at First Beach and see what the tide decided to do with her? Kill herself? Kill him, more like. Either way, her extreme reaction made her a little uncomfortable. Especially given their relationship wasn't exactly winning them _'Couple of the Year'_ in La Push. The last two summers had been particularly frosty when it came to Bella visiting Jacob on the reservation. Quil and Embry were her mainstays, the two guys she found she could count on to be behind her and Jacob. They formed an almost protective circle at the last powwow, shielding Bella from the unspoken contempt of the few, and the discomfort of the many caught in the middle. Some of Jacob's peers were growing uncomfortable, and Bella wondered if it was pressure from their parents. Out of the elders, only Billy and Harry Clearwater didn't mind them strolling hand in hand, or making the decision to move in together for the duration of their time at Washington Uni. The other elders barely acknowledged her, and Jacob trying to force their hand didn't help issues.

"If you keep trying to make Bella feel she's not welcome here, I'm going to start taking the hint," he shouted after one of them once.

"I'm glad you're starting to see sense," the man had said, tall, greying, mistrustful.

Jacob shrugged. "Yeah, I'll take the hint I'm not welcome, either," he snapped back.

The only other vocally supportive person, oddly enough, had been Kelly; Jacob's ex-girlfriend who had stamped on his heart after three weeks of apparent romantic bliss. But nobody had seen her for months now.

Bella was distracted from her thoughts by a knocking at the bathroom door.

"Honey? Come on, let me in. Let's talk," Jacob's voice called.

"You can talk from out there," Bella retorted.

She heard a mildly exasperated sigh. "Fine. I'm sorry you're upset, Bells. I never want to make you unhappy, even if it was dream me doing the nasty. I shouldn't have laughed at you."

There was a pause.

"But you've got to admit, it was pretty funny."

"Shut up, Jake! It was not funny. You ripped my heart into shreds!" Bella shouted back as she rinsed conditioner from her hair. She paused and sighed. This was getting ridiculous.

"Alright, so you didn't rip my heart to shreds, exactly. Not really. But that's what it felt like in my dream…" She ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. "Just, if you do that to me in real life, I'll kill you, okay? I think I might actually kill you."

"I love you, honey," he replied amiably. "Even if you're batshit crazy."

There was a pause.

"And possibly unhinged," he added in the same light tone.

Another pause.

"Can I cuddle you now and get you to wish me luck for the game?"

She switched the shower off and wrapped herself in a towel. She unlocked the door but said nothing.

"Does that mean I can come in?" Jacob asked through the door.

"Yes, it means you can come in," she replied as he opened the door and wrapped her in his arms.

"Sorry, honey," he mumbled into her wet hair.

"Good," Bella replied, pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder. "Just don't try and take my towel away."

"Honey, I would never do that!" Jacob's voice was mock affronted.

Bella swatted his arm. "You do it every time I come out of the shower," she reminded him. "And generally you then do things that mean I have to take another shower."

"Yeah, as if you don't like it." He sighed. "Anyway, I don't trust my self-control today."

"Stupid matches," Bella grumbled.

Jacob pressed her nose gently with his finger. "You won't be complaining when you get to brag to all your friends how you're dating U Dub's newest Basketball star," he joked. After a year on the reserve team, today's match was Jacob's first on the substitute bench. It was highly unlikely he would even get to play, which made the coach's imposition all the more galling to Bella.

"I wish I could say we had done more than dating last night," she moaned.

Jacob shrugged. "We will tonight, honey; but I might be needy and cry afterwards," he replied.

"You'll be fine out there, Jake," Bella assured him, just as he unwrapped the towel from her torso and began rubbing it gently over her skin.

"Jake!"

"I'm just drying you," he said, his voice quivering a little. Bella sighed happily and slipped her wet arms around him.

"You're so gentle," she murmured before pulling away.

"Come on, you've got a match, and our dads are coming over, remember?" she said, taking the towel from Jacob and drying herself off more briskly.

Jacob nodded and leant against the door, watching her intently. "I know," he acknowledged. "And this isn't really helping." The longing look he gave her made Bella's heart swell.

"Tell you what," she said as she put on her jeans and t-shirt. "You go take a shower, and I'll make breakfast for you."

"Even after what Dream Jacob did?" he asked.

Bella nodded. "Only if you make sure Dream Jacob doesn't get to eat any of it," she replied.

Jacob nodded, stripping off his boxer briefs. "Scout's Honour, hon," he replied, switching the shower on and pressing a kiss to her lips. Bella returned the gesture before exiting the bathroom and hearing Jacob lock the door.

"You're the best girlfriend ever, honey!" he called from behind the bathroom door. Bella smiled, shook her head and made her way downstairs.

* * *

"Ooh, something smells good," Tina commented as she padded into the kitchen.

"I'm making Jake breakfast," Bella explained as she flipped the pancakes. "It's his big day today. You coming?"

"Sure," Tina replied. "My dad's pretty into basketball. Gives us all something to do together."

"You don't sound that thrilled he's coming," Bella mentioned.

Tina shrugged. "He's okay, mainly because Mom's with him," she said. "We just don't have that much in common."

"Well, what hobbies does he have?" Bella queried. "There must be something other than basketball."

"He's a keen racist," Tina offered sarcastically.

"Ah."

"Yeah, so, you know, I apologise right now if he shoots his mouth off," she said.

"You wouldn't believe the sorts of names he uses to describe Jake and Abbie; the worst thing is he doesn't even seem to get that you can't say those words anymore. And I dread to think how he's going to react to 'Fun Time Frankie'. Guess what else makes him uncomfortable?"

"Where is Frankie, anyway?" Bella asked, keeping the pancakes warm as she poured yoghurt into a bowl with some blueberries.

"He was handing out flyers last night for Jake," Tina said. "He didn't come home. I reckon he's found some leads that have nothing to do with your friend, if you get my drift."

Bella nodded. She and Jacob had spent the past few weeks handing out 'Missing' information flyers, hoping against hope that somebody might have seen Kelly. The other roommates had helped out, too. With the guys in La Push fanning out with their various jobs and passing information in the community college, Bella reckoned they must have most of Washington State covered by now.

"They look amazing," Tina said, eyeing the lovingly prepared pancakes. "Hey, if _I_ date you, will you make _me_ breakfast?"

Bella laughed. "There's a little batter left if you want to use it up," she suggested. "You can take me to see 'Eat Pray Love' at the movies, but we can go Dutch."

Tina grinned. "Thanks, Bella."

Suddenly the doorbell rang, just as Bella was starting on the bacon and as Tina was cooking a pancake. She looked torn between the two actions, seemingly terrified that the pancake might sprout legs and attack.

"I'll get it," Bella offered. "Could you keep an eye on the bacon?"

"Sure, thanks," Tina called as Bella rushed towards the door, unlocking the latch and opening it.

"Hello," she said to the couple standing outside, who looked as though they had just stepped out of a copy of 'Good Housekeeping'. The portly man wore a suit jacket with his jeans, his blond hair stuck to his head with liberal amounts of Brylcreem. He was asking the woman why there was a ramp nailed to the steps. She was skinny and immaculate, her dyed blonde hair swept up into the neatest of chignons, her twinset contrasted with her dress perfectly. She even wore a set of pearls around her neck.

"I don't know, Brian… Oh, hello. Is Tina here?" the woman asked.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, please, come in."

The couple entered the house, wiping their feet on the doormat.

"I'm Bella, one of Tina's housemates."

"Oh, yes. We've heard all about you. It's very nice to meet you, dear," the woman said, taking Bella's hand and shaking it warmly. "I'm Francine, and this is Brian."

"Hi."

The doorbell rang again.

"Sorry, I'd better… Tina's just in the kitchen, through that door," Bella said, pointing directions as she opened the door.

"Avon calling!" Charlie and Billy sang in unison. Bella rolled her eyes for dramatic effect.

"Come in," she said.

Charlie stepped forward and gave her an awkward hug. "How's things, Bells?" he asked.

"Fine, Dad."

"Where's my lazy assed son, Bella?" Billy asked as he wheeled himself into the hallway, the smile on his face making it clear he was jesting, just as Bella heard Brian say, "Is that the Red Indian lover, then?" from the living room.

"He's… he's in the shower," Bella stammered, stooping down as Billy hugged her less awkwardly than her own father did.

"Sounds like this is going to be interesting," he whispered, gesturing towards the living area, having clearly heard the same thing Bella had.

Tina bounded into the hallway.

"I am so sorry!" she mouthed, glancing between Bella, Charlie and Billy while looking mortified.

"Don't worry about it, Tina," Bella said.

"Something smells good, Bells," Charlie commented, changing the topic of conversation as they moved into the living room.

"Yeah, I'm kind of making breakfast for…" She trailed off, embarrassed. Charlie and Billy looked at each other.

"For Jake?" Billy asked.

Charlie laughed as Bella's face turned pink. "Boy, that kid's got you whipped," he teased.

"Hey, it's a special occasion, okay?" she retorted, dashing to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and leaving the parents to chat, Tina sitting on the edge of an armchair her mother was occupying. As Bella started to plate up breakfast for her and Jacob, she could hear snatches of the conversation revolving around what they all did for a living, how Charlie and Billy knew each other. So far everything sounded fairly pleasant.

Until she entered the room the same time as Jacob did just to hear Brian innocently query, "Thought you might be his sponsor. Aren't most of you alcoholics?"

"Brian!" Francine hissed, digging her perfect stiletto heel into his brogue. Bella and Jacob caught each other's eyes before Bella glanced across at Charlie and Billy who both looked thoroughly unsurprised. Bella wasn't sure what upset her more.

Jacob merely shrugged, but Bella knew better than to trust his nonchalance; Jacob was primed for retaliation. "Nah, that's so 1960s. Now we just steal your women," he said breezily, slapping Bella's ass. She made to protest, but he flashed his best puppy dog eyes, and she couldn't be too mad at him; especially when he sealed the deal by slipping his arms around her and giving her a big, deep kiss.

"Wow, this looks amazing, honey," he said as Bella put the plates on the table, ignoring Brian's shocked expression. Bella heard quiet coughing coming from Charlie and Billy and knew they were trying not to laugh.

Tina got up to pour out coffee while Jacob and Bella ate.

"I'm sorry about Dream Jacob," Jacob said between mouthfuls. "If it helps, I totally kicked his ass in the shower."

"Good," Bella replied shyly.

"Dream Jacob?" Billy mused. "Am I going to regret asking?"

"It's nothing, Dad," Jacob assured him. "Bella got all pissy with me this morning, because she _dreamed_ I cheated on her."

"It was really vivid," Bella insisted as Charlie and Billy laughed.

"Oh, come on, Jake," Tina remonstrated. "I've had that dream before—not about you, obviously—and it's horrible! I wouldn't talk to my boyfriend all day."

"See, Tina gets it," Bella said with an air of triumph.

"Who was it, anyway?" Jacob asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Who did I cheat on you with?"

Bella stared at her plate. "Abbie," she eventually replied.

Jacob pulled an expression that suggested he didn't think Dream Jacob had terrible taste and went back to his breakfast.

"Jake!" Bella chided, dropping her fork.

"What? She's pretty cute. Don't get me wrong, honey, she's not you, but she's pretty."

"Yeah, she's a good looking girl, alright," Charlie acknowledged.

"Dad!"

"Just saying—"

"Well, don't. Ever!" Bella felt herself colour up, in part because she was remembering Abbie's reaction to Charlie once he had left after helping Jacob fix the roof tiles one weekend.

"If he ever needs to stay over, Bella, he can share my bedroom. Especially if he brings his uniform."

* * *

Bella felt her stomach do back flips as she sat with Charlie, Billy, Tina and her parents and Abbie in the arena, waiting for the match to start.

"Oh God, I feel so nervous," Bella whispered to Abbie.

"Jesus, girl. You're more shook up that he is," she whispered back, gesturing towards Jacob sitting on the sub bench looking cool as a cucumber.

"I know."

"Can I sit next to your—"

"Don't push it, Abbie," Bella hissed back as Abbie smiled and waved at Charlie from across their seats.

"I bet he puts the 'filth' in FILF," Abbie mused quietly.

"FILF?" Bella asked.

"Sure. 'Father I'd Like to—"

"Shut. Up!" Bella hissed as Abbie sniggered.

"Is Frankie showing up?" Bella asked out of curiosity once Abbie had refocused her attention to the basketball pitch.

Abbie shrugged. "Don't know. On one hand, he's often said the only way you'll drag him into the Hed Ed building is for the men's gymnastics and only if he can take popcorn. On the other hand, there's a possibility he might be able to watch Jake run around and get sweaty for two hours. Who knows which will win out?"

At that moment, the Huskies' cheer squad came onto the court, a flurry of pom-poms and signs, encouraging the audience to make a lot of noise. Bella looked across at Billy and Charlie, who were probably making more noise that anyone else in their block, waving their oversized sponge hands with pointing fingers. She couldn't help but giggle. They all, naturally, booed when the Wildcats' cheer team started up.

Soon enough, the players came out in purple, white and gold uniforms. Not knowing a great deal about basketball, Bella assumed that when the players faced each other and shook hands before assuming their position on the court that it was a standard formality. She stood up and craned her neck to see if she could wave to Jacob on the bench.

A buzzer sounded, and the game began. Abbie and Bella watched in anticipation as the ball was passed back and forth, players jostled for possession and occasionally scoring. It was easy enough for Bella to cheer when everyone else around her did, and Abbie seemed to know rather a lot about the game, to the point where she clearly thought she knew better than the coach.

"What are they thinking? Zone defence? They're getting whipped out there, they need to adopt player-on-player, and fast… How did he miss that? He was, like, right there!"

"I had no idea you were such a fan," Bella commented.

Abbie shrugged. "Rezball, my crazy white friend. Rezball," was her only explanation.

Suddenly, Abbie jumped up. "You're going to allow that?" she yelled. "Goaltending, look it up!"

It appeared from the angry reactions around them that the Husky supporters agreed.

They ate hot dogs during half time, by which time Jacob had still not made it onto the court, to Bella's dismay.

"We're getting our asses kicked," Abbie fumed.

Charlie merely smiled. "Oh, 36-42 isn't that bad," he soothed.

"We should be winning. If the referees weren't such… you know, we'd totally have the lead," she conjectured.

"They should put Jake out there," Billy insisted. "They've done at least five substitutions, they've all been poor."

"Jake said he probably won't be put out to play," Bella said. "This is his first time out of the reserve team."

"He's been in the reserves for a year and has shown them how good he is," Billy retorted. Bella tried not to smile at Billy's fatherly pride, but it was very difficult.

"I don't know what's going on," Francine pointed out. "I've only just got my head around which net they have to throw the ball in."

"It's the other way round in the next half, Mom," Tina explained, and Francine looked as though she had just been given an impromptu algebra test.

"I hope he's not too disappointed, your Jacob, if he doesn't get to play," she commented. Bella slurped on her cola just as a voice behind her spoke up.

"I'm sure Belly will think of a way to cheer him up," Frankie said, patting her head as he sat down on a spare seat behind her.

"Frankie, what are you doing here?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, I thought you didn't give a shit about any ball games that didn't involve your own—" Abbie was interrupted by Frankie jabbing her in the back with his finger.

"Hey, missy, I can appreciate the sportsmanship and athleticism too, you know."

"I bet."

The buzzer sounded for the next half, and Bella watched with mild interest as the ball was passed, dribbled and occasionally shot.

"Belly, what's going on?" Frankie asked from behind her.

Bella shrugged. "Ask Abbie, she's the expert—"

Just as Bella said this, the mother of all accidents occurred. One of the Arizona players tried to stop one of the Huskies by launching himself at the ball but missing spectacularly. Bella knew enough about basketball to know that bodily contact wasn't permitted as did the Arizona player who tried to stop his trajectory.

She also knew enough about gravitational force to see that both players weren't about to come off the court without medical help.

"Shit!" Abbie breathed. "That was nasty."

The coach motioned for a time out, Bella craned her neck to see what was going on, but only really found out when the commentator began to explain.

"…_What a collision! The Wildcats' Thompson, 13—unlucky for some—and the Huskies' Spencer, 10 are down, and the substitutions have been made. Lawrence, 7 is the Wildcats' new lucky number, and for the Huskies, Black, 15…"_

Bella, Abbie, Tina and Charlie jumped to their feet and cheered, while Billy cheered and waved two sponge hands in the air. Many other nearby spectators joined in, probably just from the rush than from any recognition of Jacob.

"… _on the reserves, this is his first showing in a national. Let's hope some of that 'Black' magic us Dawgs have seen before will to rub off on the Huskies today…"_

"They're not exactly impartial, are they?" Frankie commented once they had calmed down from cheering Jacob.

"It's a home game, that's the point," scolded Abbie before yelling, "Come on, Jake!"

Brian was laughing. Bella heard Francine ask why, only for his response to horrify her.

"It's funny that Black is the only kid out there who isn't." It earned him another scolding from his wife.

The crowd winced as Jacob missed a crucial pass, allowing the other team to score. Bella watched through her fingers, seeing Jacob tug at his ponytail in frustration.

"You can do it, son! Keep it together!" Billy roared, making the row in front jump.

It was hard to watch the match. As Bella had little interest in basketball her primary focus in the match was Jacob, who was starting to pick up but still managed to make a few crucial errors that cost them points. One thing she had noticed was how Jacob often passed the ball to someone who made a great shot, becoming the key to somebody else's glory.

"Oh, nice move, Jake!" Abbie called, clapping as Jacob ducked the defender trying to block him and dribbled the ball between both hands before throwing it to his team mate, who brought the score to 50-52.

"This is so close," Abbie whispered through her hands. Bella watched as Jacob dribbled the ball towards the three point line, looking for an open teammate but finding them all blocked by the Wildcats.

"Abbie, there's, like, five seconds on the clock," Frankie hissed. "At least Jake looked good out there."

A Wildcat player ran towards Jacob with a speed Bella thought was almost superhuman.

Abbie glared at Frankie. "There's still—"

Then it happened.

Bella, Abbie and… and every person in the stadium watched in silence, collective breaths held, as Jacob and the other Wildcat player did their best to avoid colliding, the ball flying out of Jacob's hands as he leapt out of the way.

There was a hiss of disappointment, Bella noticed Billy had gripped onto his sponge hand so hard it looked like a sausage.

But the ball flew far, surging across the court.

The clock seemed to slow.

Then, with one second to go, the ball bounced off the backboard and went through the net.

"_What… Well, I don't believe it. Black, 15 shoots and scores a three pointer in the last second of the game, taking the Huskies to victory! And nobody looks more surprised by this than Black himself…"_

Bella saw Jacob and the Wildcat player he had been trying to avoid, both staring in utter disbelief at the scoreboard. The Wildcat player patted Jacob on the back in a dazed fashion, grinning as Jacob barely reacted, his mouth still hanging open.

The Huskies crowd leapt to their feet, cheering and bellowing. Bella shouted until she felt hoarse. Billy, she noted, didn't seem to let the hoarseness stop him.

* * *

They hung around outside the changing rooms, waiting to congratulate Jacob. They didn't have to wait long as Bella heard the ecstatic team long before she actually saw them. In the distance, she spotted one of the team muss Jacob's hair affectionately, he untied the band and let it fly loose about his shoulders.

As they got closer, Jacob broke away from the group of rowdy, victorious boys and rushed up to them.

"Did you see that, Bells? What a fluke, huh?" he laughed as he gathered her up in his arms and twirled her around.

"Jake!" she squealed, giggling until he set her down again. Then he kissed her and she got so caught up in the action she almost forgot what she was going to say to him.

"It was no fluke, babe," she insisted when their lips parted, still in each other's arms.

"Hell, Jake. You've got some real talent there," Charlie agreed. Billy shrugged.

"Yeah, you were okay, son," he said nonchalantly, although he couldn't hide the broad grin that kept spreading across his face.

"Thanks, Dad," Jacob replied with a wry smile, bending down to hug his father.

Soon, the rest of the team caught up, and Bella could hear them singing some sort of chant to the tune of 'Black Magic Woman' only she couldn't quite work out which word they had used to replace 'woman'.

"Great job today, Short Stuff," said a tall boy who can't have been more than twenty from his demeanour but certainly looked it, intricately shaved patterns in his short hair.

"Thanks, Deano, but I really didn't do a lot."

"You won us the game, bro. Not bad for a reserve."

Jacob shrugged, and Bella noticed with some amusement that all the flattery was making him a little bashful.

"I just threw it. I really didn't expect—"

Suddenly, Abbie rushed at Jacob and threw her arms around him.

"Christ, I nearly bit all my fingernails off at that game!" she insisted, smacking him in the chest.

"Whoo hoo!" another tall boy with pinned back dreadlocks high fived Jacob. "You the man, you the motherfuckin' man!"

He noticed Bella and Abbie, then Charlie and Billy. "Sorry," he whispered, making Charlie laugh.

"So, you Bella?" he asked Abbie, looking her up and down.

"This is Bella," Jacob corrected, his hand resting in Bella's. The boy introduced himself as Jerome, and he was eager for them to join the team for their victory celebrations.

"We'll have some kegs, but Jake here's the clean living type," he explained, with a look that suggested he thought Jacob was mad to turn down beer at any opportunity, much less every opportunity. Then he glanced across at Abbie appreciatively.

"You coming, baby girl?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to slip his arm around her shoulders. Abbie looked at him, not entirely hostile, but not entirely compliant either.

"I'm not your 'baby girl'. Once we've got that sorted, we'll talk," she said archly.

Jerome seemed to take this as a semi-triumph.

"We're in," Jacob said, "but we've got to say goodbye to our folks first."

"Yeah, they're driving back home tonight," Bella agreed just as her cell phone started to ring. She dug it out of her purse and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Bella?"

"Speaking."

"It's Embry. Is Jake there? I couldn't get him on his cell phone."

"No, it's probably still in his locker. Oh, Embry, you'll never guess what Jake did in his first game—"

"Yeah, great. Can you put him on?" His voice sounded strained, and Bella was taken aback by his response.

"Yeah, sure." She handed the phone to Jacob.

"It's Embry," she said. "He sounds… weird."

Jacob nodded and took the phone from Bella's hand.

"Yo, Embry. What's up, dude? Guess who's—" Jacob stopped speaking and clearly listened intently to Embry's words. At one point, he turned ashen and nearly dropped the phone.

"Of course. I'll tell him, we'll be there as soon as we can."

"What's the matter, Jake?" Bella asked as he ended the call. Jacob looked at her with a shell shocked expression but then turned to Jerome with a smile. Bella had known Jacob long enough to recognise his game face by now.

"Sorry, bro. I'm going to have to bail. Family business," he said.

Jerome slapped his shoulder, presumably in a gesture of comfort. "For sure, man. Catch you later."

"Sure, bro."

Bella felt Jacob's grip on her hand tighten a little as they made their way towards Charlie and Billy.

"What's the matter, Jake?"

He took a deep breath. "They found Kelly," he said simply. Bella almost said what good news that was but realised before she opened her mouth that his expression didn't match this outcome.

"What do you mean?" she asked, although her stomach was already swimming with bile. She knew, viscerally, exactly what he meant.

* * *

Bella and Jacob followed Billy and Charlie down the winding roads towards La Push, the lights on Charlie's cruiser flashing as Jacob's Rabbit edged closer and closer, like a backwards version of 'America's Wildest Police Chases!'

Some kids, no older than ten, had been playing near the mouth of the Quillayute river. Bella didn't know what they had been playing. Pooh sticks? Hide and Seek? It didn't matter. One of the boys had poked about in the silt of the river and found what he thought was seaweed, yanked it up, but it was heavy. The others helped.

They pulled up Kelly.

Bella stared out of the window as Jacob drove, watching the scenery fly by, thick pine forests further obscured by the night drawing in. She kept picturing Kelly's face, she didn't know what her corpse looked like, and she was running through the options in her head. Pale and bloated? Emaciated? Maybe it had been there so long, it had started to rot.

She felt physically sick, but she couldn't stop running through the ghastly images in her mind. The last time she had seen Kelly alive, and thinking about her as once-alive felt like an out of body experience, was at a powwow, the first and, to date, only one Bella had attended. She had deflected Paul's stony rage at Bella's mere presence.

"They're serious, live with it."

"It's one more step to destroying our heritage!"

"So, you'd dump me for the good of the tribe?"

Paul had been silenced by this, Kelly had been smug. The others around their age had shaken their heads in disbelief at these two wild creatures having seemingly tamed each other. Paul the hothead, Kelly the man-eater. Somehow, they were perfect together.

"And we all thought it wouldn't last," Quil had commented. "Boy, have I been proven wrong."

He hadn't been. Just not the way anyone would have expected.

"You okay, Bells?" Jacob asked in a ragged voice.

"Yeah," Bella lied. "You?"

"Sure." Just from the tone of his voice, Bella knew he was being as honest as she had.

They glanced at each other, Bella extended her hand. Jacob gripped it in his, other hand on the steering wheel, powering along the road. No music, no conversation.

Just the tears.

"Don't cry, honey," Jacob whispered. "We'll all get through this."

"I'll stop crying when you do," Bella whispered back. She saw Jacob blush, turning his head. She brought his hand to her lips, pressing kiss after kiss against the knuckles.

"Baby, it's okay," she croaked out as they reached La Push.

Charlie's cruiser pulled up outside the tribal council building. Jacob followed, parking up on the curb. Bella could see just through the window of the Rabbit the number of Tribal Police swarming the area. She didn't know they had so many.

Charlie got out of his cruiser, helped Billy into his wheelchair and the two made their way towards the crowd, Charlie displaying his badge when stopped. A member of the Tribal Police, with black hair that hung just below his ears and a stern expression, stared at the badge with displeasure. Billy whispered a few words, and the man let Charlie through.

"This is unreal," Jacob said, looking at Bella. "They hate the police, you know, your police, getting involved."

Bella nodded, supposing they had little choice. Sovereign state treaties and statutes went out of the window when culpability couldn't be ascertained. Maybe Kelly's death was between the Quileutes. Maybe it wasn't. Until that was established, Forks police would be crawling all over La Push. She figured Charlie was the acceptable face of this.

"If it's murder, though…" Jacob didn't finish his sentence. Bella understood. It wouldn't matter who was responsible then. Forks finest would have to be there.

"I just… She wasn't the type, was she?" Bella said quietly. "Not to—"

"Kill herself?" Jacob spat the words out like rotten meat.

He got out of the car, slamming the door in frustration and leaning against it. Bella also exited the car, albeit more calmly, and walked over to him.

"Oh, baby," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his chest, holding him from behind.

"It's fucked up, Bells," he said into the car door.

"I know," she replied, her face pressed against his back, only vaguely aware of the figure rushing towards them.

"Guys, you made it," Embry stated, standing awkwardly in front of them. Bella straightened up, taking in his drained appearance.

"How are you, Embry?" she asked. He looked at the floor, smiled sadly but said nothing. Jacob gripped his hand; they pulled each other into a hug. Still no words spoken until Embry broke the silence.

"The cops are talking to Quil," he explained. "They're talking to everyone."

Jacob nodded. "They'll… I'll be here, when they're ready to see me."

Charlie walked over to them Bella noticed how purposeful he looked, a million miles from the happy-go-luck man who whooped and cheered the Huskies to victory just four hours ago.

"Jake, Embry," he acknowledged. "The guys need to interview everyone, and I need to be there." He smiled grimly. "Call it a coalition, I guess."

"No problem, Charlie," Jacob replied. "We want to help."

"So do I," Bella insisted.

Charlie patted her gently on the shoulder. "I'm not sure there's much you can do, Bells," he said sadly.

Harry Clearwater jogged over, wearing the same mask of grim determination as the other elders Bella had noticed milling about.

"And who said the diet wasn't worth it, Harry?" Charlie commented, patting his friend's rapidly shrinking paunch.

Harry's response was to switch on his flashlight. "You marry a nurse, you get fed rabbit food at the first sign of heart trouble," he added. "We need to find Paul."

"Paul? Why?" Jacob asked.

Harry sighed. "He went AWOL once he heard the news." Harry shook his head. "Poor kid. He was crazy about that girl."

Charlie looked at Harry with a serious expression, the one Bella almost wanted to call his police face.

"So he's a suspect," he commented gravely.

Jacob looked horrified. "Hey, Paul's got a bit of a temper, but he's not… he's not a killer!"

Bella understood Jacob's defence of Paul. The two had clashed, sometimes violently, over Jacob's relationship with Bella, but there was a line neither of them had ever crossed.

"I believe you, Jake, but he has to be questioned." Charlie's expression was impassive.

"I'll help look for him," Bella said.

Harry shook his head. "That's kind of you, Bella, but really—"

"I want to help!" she insisted. "Kelly was always really nice to me… I have to do something…" She nearly cried when she felt Jacob's hand rest on her shoulder, stroking the crook of her neck with his thumb.

"We can split up, go searching," he said. "Bells knows the area almost as well as we do."

Harry seemed to consider this. "Fine," he decided. "But be careful. If you find him, let us know. Don't approach him, you know how he feels about… you know. Could tip him over the edge." He appeared uncomfortable voicing this.

Bella merely nodded. "Sure," she replied, as she, Jacob and Embry headed off to grab flashlights and maps.

Jacob grabbed her. "Bells, ignore Harry," he whispered. "If anyone here would know how to handle Paul if they found him right now, it's you."

Bella nodded. She understood. She appreciated his faith in her.

* * *

Jacob had headed up the search party, giving all the available volunteers grid references and zones to search. Bella had the beach area to examine, but she had an inkling she already knew where to begin her search.

In fact, she was already picking her way along the dirt path up to the top of the cliff at First Beach, the place she knew she'd have gone if she had found out about Jacob what Paul had found out about Kelly.

It still surprised her a little to see him teetering on the edge of the cliff, staring into the murky water and jagged rocks below, his hands gripping at his short hair. She hoped Jacob was right, that the past year she had spent as a volunteer counsellor for Washington University's student services might stand her in good stead.

"Paul?" she offered, tentatively, any thoughts of leaving to tell the others gone clean from her mind.

He froze, tensed at the sound of her voice. "What are you doing here?" he practically snarled, still facing the water.

"Looking for you," she ventured. "You've got everyone scared, Paul. They're worried about you."

"Bit late for that," he said, anger still prominent in his voice. "So, why don't you just fuck off back to U-Dub?"

This time he turned around, and stalked toward her, thrumming with aggression.

Bella raised her palms in submission. "I don't want to upset you," she said, "but I'm not going anywhere."

She sat down on a nearby rock, far enough away from the edge that she didn't feel giddy, but close enough that Paul would have to leave his sanctuary to get away from her. She made sure she didn't cross her legs or her arms and relaxed as much as possible.

"I'm sorry about Kelly," she offered. "It's… It's awful."

Paul's laughter was bitter, humourless and bordering on hysterical. "Yeah. Awful. That's a good word." He stormed towards her, his face inches from hers. "Try, fucking tragedy! Or, disgrace, maybe? Try…" He didn't finish the sentence.

"Unfair?" Bella meekly offered after a short silence. "I liked Kelly."

"You didn't know her."

"She was always nice to me," Bella continued. "Always."

Paul looked askance at her. "She hated your guts when she was seeing Jake."

"I meant after that—"

"Fucking hypocrite; everything has to be so neat, doesn't it? 'She was such a kind person, she didn't deserve to die'." His voice was mocking, before he yelled, "Nobody deserves to die at nineteen!"

Bella didn't try to argue with him. It wouldn't make any difference. She had to sit it out and wait for him to speak. Paul paced angrily, the sheer fury seeming to curl off him like smoke.

"It's just… How?" He stopped pacing, and stood still, staring out across the ocean. "I keep going over and over it, and I can't make it make sense… She can't have killed herself. She just can't. The last time I saw her, we were…" He trailed off, glanced down at the floor. Bella understood that intimacy he shared with her, the sort that he wouldn't share with anyone else.

"She was happy, she went to college. Why didn't she come back?"

Bella was surprised to find him staring at her, as though awaiting an answer. She stood up to mirror his posture. "I… I don't know," she said quietly.

Paul shook his head. "Of course you don't," he spat. "Nobody does. Only her. And the fucker who did it."

"You don't know that," Bella replied. "Anything could have happened."

Paul smirked humourlessly. "Really, Bella? Because when I keep going over and over it in my head, seeing her body in that bag when they asked me to ID it, I can only think of one conclusion. It's like some fucking CSI episode on a loop, and I keep wondering who it was, what they looked like, how they did it. Did they rape her first? After? Strangle her? Was it quick, was it slow? How scared she must have been, and did she show it? Was it a stranger, or did she know them? Did I know them? Have I walked past them every single fucking day, waving hello and acting like everything's fine?"

He was verging on hysteria. Bella did her best to ignore how the vile images he conjured up hurt her. Normally she would have assumed he was deliberately trying to taunt her. Today? She knew she wasn't even a blip on his radar.

"Paul…" Bella tentatively reached for his hand, he jerked it away.

"Don't," he said in shaky, but warning, tones. They stood there in silence, the waves roaring in the distance.

"Do you want to go inside?" Bella suggested. "It's getting late."

"I'm not stopping you," he retorted coldly. Bella shrugged and remained where she was.

Eventually. Paul sank to the ground.

"It was my fault. I did it," he said and Bella nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Paul. You… You don't mean that," she said carefully, sitting down opposite him.

Paul shrugged. "I told her to go to college that day. She was going to cut her morning class, stay in bed with me." He lowered his head. "And I told her going to college was more important. I might as well have done it myself. That's what the cops are going to think."

"Paul, nobody knows what happened, but nobody thinks you're responsible, okay?" Bella insisted. "They're just questioning people, trying to piece the facts together. My dad's down there right now helping out, and they're all just worried about you."

Paul looked up at her, and some of the hatred had returned. "Your dad? Great. Just what we need, more fucking white noise."

"He's not really got a lot of choice in the matter," Bella replied, trying to remain impassive. Paul made no reply.

They sat there for at least half an hour, Bella wrapping her fleecy parka more tightly around her to stave off the biting wind that Paul didn't seem to have even noticed. Not once did he look at her. Occasionally he poked at the ground, pulling up grass or stabbing at the soil with his finger.

Eventually, he lifted his head to not-quite look at her, and his words made her stomach lurch in horror.

"I wish it had been you, not her," he said simply.

"Oh," was all she could manage as a reply.

"If someone offered, I'd gladly make the trade," he said, as though utterly detached from the situation. "But I guess I understand Jake now. He couldn't dump you for us anymore that he could cut his own lungs out."

Suddenly, he broke down in tears, shocking Bella.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I can't help how I feel."

Bella leant forward and wrapped her arms around him, more fiercely when he tried to push her away. Soon enough he lowered his head and cried against her shoulder. He said a lot of things Bella couldn't make out, although she was certain she had heard him say, "I miss her."

After a while, he pulled away from Bella, wiped his eyes. "Not a word," he warned.

Bella nodded. "Your secret is safe with me," she replied as he stood up and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. He stared at it, his expression cold, before hurling it off the cliff and into the sea. Then he turned to face Bella.

"Shall we?" he suggested, offering his hand.

Bella instead tucked her arm around his. "Are you sure you're ready? We can stay if you like."

"I've got to face it sooner or later," he said, striding ahead so fast, Bella had to practically jog to keep up. She nearly fell over a few times on the steep dirt path down to the beach.

"Can I ask you something?" Bella ventured as they got closer to the tribal council building, and the many police.

"Sure," Paul replied. "Doesn't mean I'll answer, though."

"What did you throw? I mean, into the sea?"

Paul was silent, right up until they saw Harry in the distance gesture for them to meet him. Just when Bella assumed her wasn't about to tell her, Paul looked her in the eye, only briefly, before looking away at the road.

"Engagement ring," he mumbled. "Not going to need it anymore, am I?"

Bella was left reeling as he disentangled his arm from hers and walked over to Harry Clearwater, who clapped him on the back in a sympathetic manner and handed him over to Sam Uley, his Tribal Police uniform glinting under the street lights as he tried to offer Paul reassurance.

He didn't accept it.

* * *

That night in Jacob's old bedroom, Bella slowly undressed as Jacob watched from his—their—makeshift bed of two mattresses held together by a double sheet and bedecked with a warm quilt.

"You can take any of my t-shirts, Bells," he offered, propped on his side, the moonlight filtering through the window glistening on his bare skin.

"No, thanks," she said quietly, feeling a tear trickle down her cheek. "I want to feel you."

"Bella? Honey? Are you okay?"

The concern in his voice was enough to set her off. She turned away as she took off her underwear, tears spilling over her cheeks. She could hear the quilt rustling, Jacob get up out of the bed. She felt him put his arms around her and embrace her.

"Oh, Bella," he whispered, kissing her wet cheeks tenderly. She gripped at his hair and buried her face against his chest, weeping uncontrollably. In a fluid movement, he scooped her up in his arms and put her in the bed, wrapping the quilt around them both.

"It's okay, honey," he whispered brokenly. Bella could see he was crying too and moved her hand to gently wipe his tears away.

"I just… I don't have the words for this, you know?" he said.

Bella nodded, kissing his cheek. "Me neither, and I'm the one studying for an English major," she joked weakly.

They held each other more closely, Bella's head resting against Jacob's chest, her fingers tracing the definition of his muscles.

She didn't know how to handle this; the death of someone she knew, the choking layer of mourning that had settled over them all like ash from an unseen explosion. She looked up at Jacob and felt a sudden, fleeting fear that she could wake up the next morning and he'd be gone.

"You did good today, Bells," Jacob said. "Getting Paul to come back. I saw him come out from the council building, you know, after being interviewed. He was a mess. Charlie looked terrible, told me… Well, he couldn't exactly tell me much, but he said the guy needed watching over." He paused, looked Bella in the eye. "He must have been worse when you found him."

Bella nodded but didn't expand on this. She had made a promise.

"Paul said something to me today," she said, arguing to herself that he hadn't specified never to mention this particular incident.

"Hmm?"

"He said, if he had the choice, he'd switch us. He'd rather I died instead of Kelly—"

Jacob sat up suddenly, dislodging Bella from her position splayed out over his chest. She grabbed onto him for support.

"He said what!"

"Jake, calm down. It's fine. The thing is, I understand. Kind of." She pushed at his chest tenderly, urging him to lie back down. He did so, enveloping her in his arms.

"Me too," he confessed eventually. "If I had to choose between the life of you and someone else, I'm pretty sure I'd pick you."

"Only pretty sure?" Bella teased, feeling safe and warm in his embrace.

Jacob's expression was serious. "Come on, Bells. If I had to choose between saving you, and someone who would stop the biggest world war ever in ten years' time, one that would kill billions of people? Maybe I'd have to stop and think."

He sighed heavily. "I think I'd still pick you," he admitted. "And I think that makes me a terrible person."

"I know I'd still pick you," Bella replied. "What does that make me?"

Jacob didn't answer, instead he stroked his hand tenderly over her hair, from her head down to her back, caressing along the wavy patterns that it made over her pale skin. She sighed contentedly, her fingers dancing lightly along the shafts of moonlight bouncing off his skin, when she was suddenly hit with an overwhelming desire, the like of which she had never felt before.

They could be more than a couple.

Just as she began to process this strange new feeling, Jacob gently caressed her tummy and pressed a kiss to her head.

"It makes you think," he murmured. "Makes you realise how lucky we are."

Bella nodded. "How short life is," she added, pressing her damp lips to his chest, eliciting a breathless sigh from him. The sound seemed to slide across her nerves deliciously, so she continued, slowly increasing in passion until she was straddled across his hips, grazing his earlobe between her teeth.

"Bells," he panted, fisting her hair roughly.

"Jake," she whispered into his ear. "I want to have a baby with you."

"What, right now?" he joked, kissing her neck.

"Yes," she replied. He stopped dead. Bella rested her arms around his neck, dangling her hands between his shoulder blades.

"I mean, obviously I'm going to have to stop taking the pill, and it might take a few months, but yeah. No time like the present."

Jacob stared at her as though she ought to be sectioned. "Bells, honey, are you…" He looked as though he was going to censor his response but thought better of it. "Have you gone crazy?"

Bella felt her heart lurch uncomfortably. "I thought… I thought you'd wanted children?"

Jacob held her close. "Honey, of course. I want kids with you, really I do. But right now? You're in your final year of your English major, I'm still an underclassman… What about your teaching qualifications? What about all the other things we talked about doing?"

"I can still do a qualification and be a mom," she insisted. "Lots of people do it."

"Yeah, Bells, but not easily." His hand stroked her face affectionately. "What's the hurry?"

"We might not get a chance!" Bella insisted, jerking her face away from him. "Paul wanted to marry Kelly, and he never got to do it."

"Yeah, and it makes me sick to my stomach, Bells. But that's a reason to go backpacking across Europe, or to take that aromatherapy course you've always wanted to do, or whatever. It isn't a reason to rush making a family."

"Why not?" Bella retorted. "Seriously, anything could happen. We could get hit by a car, or blown up, or get stabbed during a mugging. Hell, most accidents happen in the home. I could drown in the bath or you could fall off a ladder clearing out Mrs Compton's stupid drainpipes. Give me one good reason why we shouldn't want to create a new life together before one of us dies?"

"We couldn't support a kid right now," Jacob said tersely.

"I could get a job. You could get a job. We'd manage," Bella insisted.

Jacob sighed, dragged his hand over his face. "Bella, I've 'managed' my whole life," he said. "It's not exactly fun. I've been earning for me and my dad since I was about thirteen, hocking crafts around the area, fixing up cars on the rez. It's hard, okay, and I don't want that for my kids!"

Bella stopped for a moment, taking in Jacob's serious expression. The thought about having his children had been brewing for a long time, but Bella had always imagined it to be some far-off distant occurrence, when they had lived a little more. When they had stories to tell their beautiful son and daughter—Bella wanted one of each—that didn't revolve around high school and college, when they had a home and careers and all the other things you expect will happen in that mythical far-off time known as 'older'.

Suddenly, it seemed a very real possibility that they might not survive to see 'older', and the other things didn't seem so important.

"I thought you didn't care about money," she ventured.

"I don't, Bella. I don't want some big fancy house with a swimming pool and a Jag… Well, okay, I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Jag. But I don't want us to struggle."

Bella looked down at the bed. "I don't want to lose you," she said quietly.

"And I don't want to lose you, honey," he insisted. "But this isn't the answer. What happens if one of us did die, huh? The other one would be struggling to bring up a kid, worrying about whether we can pay for Junior's field trip, or having to choose between heating the house or feeding ourselves. On top of that, we'd be grieving."

Bella couldn't bring herself to look at him. She knew he was speaking from experience.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

He kissed her forehead. "Don't be sorry, honey," he whispered. "I get it; I really do. This whole thing, losing Kelly, has scared the shit out of me. I've been questioning every decision I've made about not rushing into things with you. But that's no way to live life, right?"

Bella nodded, understanding his logic. But a big part of her didn't want to listen to logic right now.

"Just sleep on it, honey," he said. "If tomorrow, you're still dead set on this… I'm not going to lie, I'm going to try and talk you out of it. But I will give it some serious thought, okay? Because if this is going to come between us, I'd rather struggle with you that not have to without you."

Bella turned her back to him as they lay down, but Jacob cuddled against her, his chest against her back, his arms wrapped around hers.

"Sure, sure," she replied.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Baby Blues

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella is still broody, and Jacob has an idea of how to cure her of it.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Confettirainfall and thejmeyer.

**NB:** I'm a wee bit early with this, due to Christmas and my boring Thursday of driving up and across the country. Normal service will be resumed next week, chapter updates will continue to be on Thursdays.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Baby Blues**

"You cannot possess me for I belong to myself. But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give…"

"You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require …"

Bella sat watching the young couple shyly exchange rings, a small giggle escaping from Leah's lips as Sam slipped the wedding band on her finger.

She felt Jacob squeeze her hand. "You okay, honey?" he asked.

Bella nodded. "Fine," she said, wiping her eyes. Jacob grinned and gently pressed a kiss to her cheek.

The music started up, and Bella turned to watch Leah and Sam walk along the tribal hall, hand in hand, to sign their marriage certificates.

The boys around her, Embry, Quil and Jared, whooped and cheered loudly along with Jacob as the couple passed. Bella joined is as much as she dared by clapping enthusiastically. Leah, a vision in backless white and wild flowers, winked at her.

"You're next, man," Jared said, clapping a slightly surprised Jacob on the shoulder.

"Come on, Jared, we haven't even graduated yet," he reasoned, looking anxiously away when he caught Bella's eye.

She knew exactly why he reacted with such fear.

Babies.

They were all Bella had been able to think about, between studying for her final exams and finishing off her dissertations. She had almost considered declining the offer to do her year long teaching conversion course at UDub, but rational thought kicked in and she completed the necessary paperwork.

Instead, she contented herself with staring longingly at small squidgy babies in strollers, toddlers on the swings at the park, offering her seat to pregnant women on the Metro and doing her best to ignore the seething resentment she felt towards them, round bellied and fruitful, ripe with the union of seed and warmth.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" a particularly concerned mother had asked her one time as they rattled with the motion of the trolleybus, and Bella became acutely aware she had probably been staring at her like one of those crazy ladies who sneak into the local hospital and try to steal a baby sleeping in an incubator.

"I'm fine. Sorry," she said, avoiding the gaze of the short haired woman, trying to ignore how her top rode slightly over her belly, exposing a sliver of the swollen flesh.

"When's it due?" Bella asked timidly. The woman proudly patted her round stomach.

"Two months to go," she said happily. "It's a girl, the doctor said, but my mother-in-law does all that stuff with crystals, and she's convinced it's a boy."

Bella smiled weakly. "Well, you'll find out soon enough, I guess."

The woman nodded. "I can't wait," she admitted with a weary chuckle. "My back is killing me!"

Bella giggled along with her, absently stroking her own flat, empty belly.

That night she had stood in the bathroom with a sewing needle, contemplating the ethics of stabbing Jacob's entire stash of condoms and wondering if he'd notice if she just flushed a load of her birth control pills away.

"Bella, put the pin away before you wreck your relationship for good," Abbie had warned, leaning against the doorway, arms folded, her expression stern.

The tears had started then, thick and heavy as Bella sank to the floor, Abbie's arms around her, trying to offer comfort over something she clearly didn't understand, judging from her nonplussed expression.

A warm hand at the small of her back distracted her from her reverie.

"Bells, honey? We've got to go outside for photos," Jacob said quietly, echoing in the now empty hall as Bella gulped away a sob.

It didn't escape his attention.

"Oh, honey," he whispered, peppering her face with kisses, stroking her hair. "I wish I could make this go away for you."

"You can," she said bitterly, before grabbing his shirt when his expression invariably fell. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Jake."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I know, honey. It's okay."

She wiped her eyes, feeling secure in his embrace. "I don't know why you're still with me."

"Yes, you do," he replied, kissing her tenderly.

* * *

By the time Bella had calmed herself and they had all posed for the requisite photographs, the sun was starting to set and they all piled into a huge gazebo with four rows of tables, all festooned with pretty decorative wild flower centre-pieces. She was sat next to Jacob, along with Embry, Quil, and two girls she didn't recognise.

Quil had honed in on them as though he were a chick-seeking missile. "Hey there, ladies," he drawled. "Wine?" he offered.

A tall willowy blonde girl tilted her glass towards him with a smile as he picked up the open bottle of white wine on their table. Jacob and Bella passed, but Embry and the other girl, dark skinned with neatly braided hair, tilted their glasses towards her, and she filled each glass three-quarters of the way up.

"I'm Ashleigh," the blonde said before gesturing to her friend. "This is Serena."

Serena gave them all a languid wave, which they returned before introducing themselves.

"I guess you guys all met at college, right?" Jacob asked.

"That's right," Serena replied. "We all majored in Biochemistry. We all suffered Professor Haggart."

Ashley shuddered at this. "Yeah, we sure did."

"Why? What's the problem with him?" Bella asked. Serena and Ashleigh looked at each other with uncertainty.

"Leah mentioned you were at UDub, too?" Ashleigh queried, changing the subject with a rapidity that stunned Bella.

"Yeah, me and Bells here," Jacob replied, allowing Bella time to collect her thoughts. "Well, Bella's just graduated. I've got another year."

"I've got one more year as a post grad," Bella added. "I'm doing teacher training."

"Cool," she replied, a smile twitching at her lips as Quil glanced at her and Serena, apparently unable to pick between the two.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bella noticed Embry staring intently off into the distance. She followed his gaze and noticed, not entirely with surprise, that Emily was sitting at the top table in a dusky pink bridesmaid dress, her expression muted but happy. She locked eyes with Embry for a moment before looking away, embarrassed by his flagrant attention.

"Dude, cut it out!" Quil hissed, jabbing Embry in the gut.

"What? I wasn't doing anything!" he mumbled back.

Quil rolled his eyes. "Emily knows you're at this wedding, dude. She isn't going to expect you to be slaving away on your coursework assignment!"

"Yeah, yeah. Obviously," he replied, his voice oddly dazed.

"So, we know Leah, and we've met Sam a couple of times," Ashleigh said. "But who are the others?"

Quil got up out of his seat and placed himself between Ashleigh and Serena, casually slipping an arm around each of them. The girls seemed torn between indignation and admiration.

"Well, there's Sue and Harry, Leah's parents. Seth, her brother— he's the one looking kind of bored and fiddling with his cell phone. The two bridesmaids are Emily, that's Leah's cousin, and Rachel." He jabbed a thumb towards Jacob. "That's his sister."

Bella glanced up at Rachel, sitting slightly awkwardly at the top table, doing her best to keep a rigid posture, almost dwarfed by the raucous conversation surrounding her. Apart from the skin tone, the two siblings didn't look much alike. Where Jacob's eyes were molasses dark, Rachel's were lighter, more like caramel. They both had the same jet black hair, however, although Rachel's was currently set in elegant ringlets.

Suddenly, Rachel waved eagerly in their direction. Jacob raised his hand affably.

It took Bella a little while to realise Rachel was waving at her, too.

"She wants to meet you," Jacob informed her. "Been badgering me about it all week, actually."

Bella waved back nervously, just as a waiter started bringing round plates of artfully arranged food.

"Wow, this is pretty fancy grub," Quil commented, tucking into a mango and smoked salmon starter.

"Yeah, how did they bankroll this?" Jacob wondered absently.

Serena leant across the table and touched Jacob's arm. "Well, us girls gave Professor Haggart the nickname 'Mr Tentacles', but only Leah actually had the balls to chew him out. And hide a camcorder in her bag." She smiled slyly. "I always wondered how much hush-money he paid her."

Jacob's laugh reverberated around the room, and if everyone else wasn't talking at the tops of their voices, Bella could imagine they would have turned to stare.

More waiters came out to collect up plates and bring out more food.

"Wow. This is my kind of party," Jacob whispered to Bella as a rich smelling main course was place in front of them. Bella couldn't help but smile and kissed him on the cheek.

She glanced across the room and saw Charlie and Billy sitting at the table in front of them with some older men and women, when one of the party turned around and glanced in their direction. Bella recognised the weathered looking man and the fierce woman at his side, but she had never been introduced.

From the icy look on both their faces when their eyes raked over her, Bella understood why.

Jacob tensed up beside her. "Son of a bitch," he muttered in a low voice.

"Jake, it doesn't matter. Ignore them," Bella soothed, just as she saw Charlie get up from his seat and storm outside, his expression cold. Billy stared after him sadly before wheeling himself away from the table, following him.

She felt Jacob's hand encase her own. "I love you," he said, kissing her tenderly on the lips. "They're going to have to deal with it."

"So, what are you two ladies doing now you've entered the real world?" Quil asked of Ashleigh and Serena, while Bella tucked into her gamey main course.

"I'm working as a medical writer," Ashleigh said.

"What's that?"

She shrugged. "I put together medical trial reports for drug literature, that sort of thing."

"What about you, Serena?" Embry asked casually, his eyes still flitting across to the top table every five seconds until Emily gave Leah a quick kiss on the cheek and tottered out of the gazebo on heels that seemed a fraction too high for her.

Serena smiled. "I'm at graduate college, doing research into expression cassettes."

"Huh? Right. Cool," Embry replied, his eyes following Emily's progress.

Serena laughed. "Am I distracting you?"

Embry looked a little flustered. "No? Why?"

"I'm sure your girlfriend won't mind you talking to me—"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Embry's eyes were wide, fearful.

Quil laughed. "Emily teaches one of the courses at the community college," he explained. "He's freaking out over some extra credit summer assignment."

Serena smirked. "Yeah. Course he is."

Embry stood up. "I'm just going… Bathroom, you know?" he stammered out, before rushing off out of the gazebo.

Suddenly, the smashing of a glass distracted them all. Paul had knocked his wine glass off the table, and it had crashed onto a nearby empty seat. Everyone under the gazebo applauded and laughed. He stood up and bowed shakily before slouching back into his seat, aggression thick within every muscle.

"Jesus, how much has he had?" Jacob whispered, his voice full of concern.

"Come on, Jake. It's a party; he's allowed!" Rachel said as she reached their table, the palms of her hands resting against the back of Jacob's chair.

"Hey, Rach," he said, tilting his head back to kiss her on the cheek. She wrapped one arm around him and ruffled his hair with the other.

"Hey there, Jakey," she said with a smile. "Are you going to introduce me?" She looked pointedly at Bella.

Jacob practically jumped out of his seat to do the honours. "Rachel, this is Bella, my girlfriend. Bella, this is my sister, Rachel."

"Hi," Bella said anxiously. Rachel peered at her appraisingly before her lips parted into a big grin, and Bella realised she and Jacob had one other trait in common.

"Hi, Bella. Jake's told me so much about you," she said, a little excitedly. "He's not giving you too much trouble, is he?"

"No," Bella replied. "Quite the opposite." She gave Jacob an apologetic look as he smoothed his hair back into its ponytail.

Rachel gently nudged her arm. "Sure, sure. You don't have to be polite, Bella. I've had the misfortune of living with him for years."

"Hey, I was the perfect little brother!" Jacob argued.

Rachel rolled her eyes and smirked. "Yeah, especially when you used to put worms in mine and Bex's shoes."

"I was a kid back then," Jacob insisted.

"You were thirteen!"

Quil suddenly stifled laughter, and Bella was left with the distinct impression that Jacob had accomplices.

"Just fuck off!" Paul yelled, so loudly that even the top table reacted.

"Take it easy, bro!" Jared was trying to calm him down but with little effect. Paul shoved him hard in the chest, and he staggered backwards.

"She should be here!" he hissed, before storming off outside.

Bella felt Jacob's arm snake around her waist, holding her tightly. Copying his gesture, she craned her head upwards and whispered, "Someone should really talk to him."

He nodded. "Work your magic, honey."

* * *

Leaving the others with instructions to save her some dessert, Bella hurried towards the beach, trying to find Paul. She figured he might be up on the cliffs again, and he could do with a shoulder to cry on, however hard he would try to push her away.

She soon heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Rachel rushing barefoot towards her, a pair of satin heels in her hand.

"Thought I'd help you look for him," she said. "Jake told me what happened." She shook her head. "Poor guy."

"Yeah," Bella replied as the two of them walked along the quiet path to the beach, stopping only when Bella almost fell over in the sand dunes.

"Stupid heels," she muttered as Rachel giggled.

"Come on," she said, offering her arm to Bella for support as they found a nearby tree stump.

As she sat down to unbuckle her shoes, Bella became dimly aware of voices somewhere in the distance, within the woods.

"Embry, we've got to stop this!" Emily's demand sounded rather uncertain.

"Why?"

"You're a student."

"So?"

"You're _my_ student!"

Embry chuckled. "So?"

"It's not right."

"I'm not asking you to give me As. I'm just asking to hear some other vowel sounds…" Bella saw them, cloaked in shadows and moonlight, saw Embry's lips graze Emily's throat and heard the trembling sigh that escaped her lips.

"That's what I'm talking about," he murmured, one hand caressing her side, the other pressing her tightly against him.

"Embry… Please… It was one time only."

"That's what you say. I say it's the first time of many…" His head ducked further, trailing kisses along her décolletage. "Come away with me, this weekend. Nothing fancy, but I've got other ways to make it worth your while."

"Embry, don't be stupid."

"I'm not being stupid. You know how I feel about you. And I know how you feel, despite how you keep lying to us both."

"I'm looking after Claire and baby Sophie."

"Fine, then come back to mine. Now. Mom isn't going to leave a party any time soon."

"Embry, don't…" Emily's voice came out in a breathless gasp as Embry nipped her earlobe.

"I can't quit you, babe, so don't ask. Let me show you how a woman like you ought to be treated," he breathed. "Like a goddess."

"Damn you, Embry," Emily hissed before grasping at his hair and kissing him wildly, her other hand gripping at his buttocks and grinding him as close to her as she could without removing any clothing.

Bella didn't have to look behind her to surmise that Rachel was gawping in shock, just as she was.

"Jesus!" Rachel whispered, giggling.

"I know," Bella managed to whisper back.

Emily tensed suddenly. "Did you hear something?" she whispered. Bella and Rachel glanced furtively at each other before mutely sneaking away from the scene.

"Wow," Rachel whispered as they walked across the damp sand. "I can't… Wow." She grinned. "Emily the Cougar? Who knew?"

"Hey," Bella retorted. "There's nothing wrong with an age gap."

Rachel looked at her feet for a moment, clenching her toes in the sand as an embarrassed blush creeping across her cheeks. "Sorry, I forgot," she said.

"It's okay," Bella replied before grinning. "I just know it can have its advantages."

Rachel's expression was one of horror. "Eww! Don't, Bella. Just, don't! Jacob doesn't… Eww!"

"I only implied it."

"Don't even imply it!" Rachel shuddered. "My baby brother, it's just wrong and perverse!"

They walked along in silence for a bit until Rachel spoke again. "Dad says you've had a bit of a hard time? With some of the others?"

Bella squirmed a little under Rachel's compassionate stare. "Yeah, kind of."

"I saw what happened earlier, with your dad," she said. "I'm not sure what to say. I've never seen this before."

"Yeah, I'm not sure anyone has. Not with… You know," Bella replied, suddenly unwilling to finish her sentence. Honorary chief's son living in sin with a paleface? They had been upset enough by honorary chief's son taking the paleface to the school prom years ago. With the amount of stuff going on in her relationship right now, Bella felt her life was starting to resemble a bad made for TV melodrama.

Rachel nodded and didn't push the issue. Instead she glanced up and squinted at the cliff.

"There's someone up there," she said. "Is it Paul? Not that I know who else it would be."

Bella glanced up and could easily make out the cropped hair and hunched shoulders that defined Paul to her since that awful day. "Yeah, it looks like him," she replied.

Rachel nodded. "Sorry, I left my glasses on the table."

It didn't take long to follow the path through the woods up to the cliff, where Paul stood, his hands in his hair, a strangled sob escaping his throat.

Bella felt reluctant to intrude. "Paul?" she offered tentatively, just as Rachel rushed forward and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry," she said as Paul looked up at her through bloodshot eyes, surprised and relieved, as though a prayer had been answered that he didn't think anyone was around to hear. Silently, he put his arms around Rachel's tiny waist and sobbed unashamedly into her shoulder, allowing her to stroke his hair comfortingly.

Bella offered Rachel a small smile and walked away. She knew when she wasn't needed.

* * *

On returning to the party and passing Billy and Charlie drinking in a corner, Bella found herself swept into a conga before she even knew what was happening.

"Come on, Bella, shake that ass!" Quil demanded, grabbing her hands and putting them on Seth's hips before putting his own hands on hers.

"Where's Jake?" Bella asked as they sashayed around the space while a harangued Sue and Harry hastily moved the tables away with help from Sam's mother, trying to dodge the unstoppable train of tipsy guests.

"Trying to rescue your cheesecake, I think," he replied airily.

A few moments later, the conga line was broken up near the makeshift bar area by two of the other elders moving the top table through the middle of the grassy floor space and out of the gazebo. The crowd groaned in frustration.

"Oi, we had a good line going there!" Jared hotly protested.

"Quit moaning! Get out of the way and make another one," the grey-haired woman retorted smoothly.

"Good advice, Grandmother," Seth replied, grabbing Bella's hands just as she saw Jacob wander towards her with a plate of something chocolatey.

"Maybe later, Seth," Bella said, pulling gently away. "Jake's got something I want."

Jared and Quil laughed loudly at this.

"Has he, now?" Jared said, smirking while Quil pursed his lips and performed the loudest wolf-whistle Bella had ever heard.

"What's up, guys?" Jacob asked, snaking an arm around Bella while supporting the plate of dessert in the other.

"You're in for a good time tonight, bro," Quil said, laughing.

Bella tried to stop herself from blushing, but it was no good. "I was talking about the dessert," she said, peering at the plate as Jacob nuzzled her neck.

"Sure, sure. Of course you were, honey," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the pulse point before gently sucking at the skin, eliciting a sigh of pleasure from her.

"Jake, this is very nice, but I want the cheesecake."

"It's chocolate torte, actually," he whispered into her ear. "And how badly do you want it?"

"I'll give you head all night, just give me the damn torte!" she hissed.

Jacob pulled away and grinned at her. "I love it when you're slutty," he whispered, pressing his hand to the small of her back and pulling her flush against him, setting the plate down on the nearby table masquerading as a bar surface. Bella merely looked up at him expectantly. He smiled and took a forkful of the chocolate torte, with a bit of cream and a single raspberry, and carefully positioned it near to her lips. Silently, she opened her mouth and sucked the fork clean, letting the dessert melt deliciously over her tongue, the heat of her mouth doing more to break up the mouthful than her teeth needed to. She moaned quietly, letting her enjoyment be known to Jacob.

"That was so good," she said ecstatically as he trailed his fingers up and down the satin of her dress.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said in a low voice, pressing his fork into the torte and bringing another dollop up to her lips, teasingly moving it away when she parted her lips and leant forward to capture it.

"Hey!" she moaned, grabbing his hand and pulling it towards her.

"Aww, you know I like to tease you," he replied as she slipped her lips over the fork, taking the piece of dessert with her.

They continued in this vein until the whole dessert was gone, and Jacob ran his finger over the residue of chocolate and cream on the plate, dabbing Bella on the nose. She giggled as he tilted his head forward and kissed the tip of her nose, licking the chocolate mixture clean away.

"Don't I get the last bit?" Bella asked, gesturing towards Jacob's hand.

He wiggled his finger in front of her. "Really? You want this?" he teased as Bella took it in her mouth and sucked, nipping at it gently when he pulled away.

"We don't have to stay for the reception, you know," he said in a voice thick with lust. "We could go back to my place, your place." His voice seemed to catch as Bella slipped her hand down the back of his pants. "Anyone's place?" he offered swiftly.

Suddenly, the music started up, and a sharply dressed DJ announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr and Mrs Uley for the first dance!"

Bella watched as Sam and Leah took to the dance floor, swaying happily to the tune of 'Everything I Do'.

Jacob grimaced as though the sound personally offended him, but he smiled as Leah and Sam twirled past them.

"So," Jacob said. "Places, us, alone. What do you say?"

"Ooh, I think I'd quite like to dance first," Bella said. "Only not to this."

Jacob grinned, and kissed her. "I feel very privileged, you know," he said smoothly, taking her hand in his. "You only seem to like dancing with me."

"That's because you're special," she said as another of the elders walked past, steadfastly ignoring them as he walked to the dance floor and clapped.

Bella sighed and rested her head against Jacob's shoulder, watching as the man kissed Leah on both cheeks, holding her hands as he admired her dress.

Bella knew their appreciation wasn't something she would get to experience.

"Okay, I've changed my mind. Let's go," Bella said, slipping her arm around Jacob.

Just as they made to leave, Emily snuck back into the gazebo, looking a little flushed.

"Are you okay, Emily?" Charlie asked as she rushed past.

"Yeah, fine," she spluttered out nervously. Bella tried very hard not to smile and looked away at the entrance once more.

That was when she saw the woman resting a baby over her shoulder, patting her back gently to wind her; the pink onesie told Bella it was a girl. Bella recognised Claire, having left toddlerhood behind to proudly embrace childhood. She was tugging at the long skirt of the youngish woman Bella didn't recognise but assumed must be Claire's mother.

"In a minute, Claire," she said, still rubbing the small baby's back with delicate movements.

"But Mom, I can't see Quil!"

"Sweetheart, I said in a minute!" the woman remonstrated. Claire paid little attention and instead barrelled off into the crowd, her pink flower girl dress billowing up with the movement.

As soon as Emily walked into her vicinity, the woman breathed a sigh of relief.

"Emily, could you take Sophie for a minute?" she asked, handing the baby over as she did so.

"Kate, I actually need to ask you—"

"Hold on, Emily. Claire! Get back here this instant!" Kate said loudly, rushing off towards Claire who had already found Quil standing with Ashleigh next to the dance floor. She grabbed hold of his jacket.

"What's up, squirt?" he asked, picking her up.

"Oh, aren't you a cutie?" Ashleigh cooed, taking Claire's hand, just as Kate reached them, offering apologies and trying to take a now grumpy Claire away from Quil.

"I'm so sorry; she's just taken a bit of a shine to you, I think."

"It's okay," Quil replied. "She's a sweetheart, aren't you?" he said to Claire in an indulgent voice while Ashleigh looked on adoringly.

"You have to admit, Claire has a perfect record in getting Quil the ladies," Jacob whispered into Bella's hair. She barely heard him, transfixed by Emily rocking the baby girl as her eyes started to droop, her bald head nestled against Emily's chest.

She felt Jacob's arms loosen slightly around her. "Bella," he said warningly.

"Hmm?"

Emily reached Kate and walked alongside her with the baby. "Kate, I really don't think I can babysit next weekend."

"What? Emily, you promised!"

"I know, I'm sorry. Something came up," she said, looking down at the floor.

Kate looked anguished. "You know I can't take the girls with me… I don't suppose you know anybody who could look after them instead?"

"I'm sure I could find—"

"We'll do it!" Jacob announced enthusiastically, surprising Bella.

"We will?"

"Sure," Jacob replied airily as Kate eyed him suspiciously.

"Have you ever looked after a baby, Jake?" she asked.

"Yeah. Well, not for a whole weekend, but I've watched kids before loads of times," he replied. "I've helped Dad watch Claire, remember?"

"Yeah, it was fun!" Claire said over Quil's shoulder.

"Jacob and Bella are very responsible," Emily added, the relief palpable on her face. "You can trust them."

Kate seemed to relax at this. "Okay," she said. "Come round tomorrow and I'll give you instructions and introduce you properly."

"Awesome. We'll be there," Jacob replied as Bella nodded in agreement.

"Why did you volunteer us?" Bella asked, once Emily and Kate were out of earshot.

Jacob grinned. "You want babies? Let's have a dry run first," he said, raising his eyebrows in challenge.

* * *

The next weekend, Bella and Jacob found themselves in the Makah reservation, knocking on the green painted door of Kate's house. She opened it and it and gestured for them to come in.

"Sorry, I'm running a bit late," she said, clearly harassed.

"It's cool, Kate," Jacob said as they stepped inside, Bella taking care to avoid tripping over the open dufflebag pushed to the side of the hallway.

The house was small but perfectly formed, with pale blue walls and large windows letting in the sun.

"Please, sit down," Kate offered while running to another room, and they sat down on a particularly squidgy battered leather couch.

"Would you like a drink?" Kate asked on her return, her arms full of clothes and a small toiletry bag dangling off her outstretched fingers.

"We're fine, thank you," Bella replied. Kate looked so busy, adding beverage making to her spiralling list of tasks seemed somewhat churlish.

Kate dumped the items in the dufflebag and turned to face them. "Sophie's having her nap right now, and Claire's playing outside."

As if on cue, Bella heard a ball thud against the window, followed by Claire shouting, "Sorry!" in a sing song voice.

"Claire! How many times do I have to tell you, stay away from the windows!" Kate called out loudly before sighing heavily.

"Where was I? Oh, yes, the list." She dashed out to the kitchen and returned with a big notepad, opening it up as she sat between them on the sofa.

"Claire's bath time is at six o'clock, after dinner at five. She goes to bed at seven on the dot, but if she's been good and it's a weekend, she's allowed to stay up until eight, but only if there's a movie on. Talking of movies, nothing above a 'G' rating. Sophie has her feeds around every six hours now, and she naps three times a day. She still has a night time feed; there's enough expressed milk in the fridge to last for more than this, but you shouldn't need it. Sometimes, she just wants water, and at meal times, try and give her some pureed vegetables as well as the milk— there's a batch in the fridge. Don't fret if she doesn't eat it. If you need to be up and about, she can sleep in her stroller, but it's best to put her in the crib…"

Bella felt her head start to swim as Kate went through every tiny detail in the notebook of her children, from what type of baby oil to use in Sophie's bath water, through to where Claire's fingerpaints were kept.

"And I've left the contact details of the conference centre, my cell, Emily's cell, in case you have any problems," Kate finished.

Jacob patted her on the shoulder. "We'll be fine, Kate, don't worry."

Kate smiled uneasily. "Sorry, Jake," she said. "I'm always like this when I have to leave the girls."

Loud cries suddenly punctuated the conversation.

"Sophie's awake," Kate explained unnecessarily. "I'll bring her down for you."

As she left the room, Bella noticed a bright yellow ball roll into the room and nudge her feet, followed by the patter of little footsteps.

"Hello!" Claire said brightly, dashing towards them. Jacob picked her up with a practised ease and sat her in his lap, where she seemed to settle quite happily.

"Hey there, Claire," he said, tickling her chin and making her giggle. "You looking forward to a weekend with your Uncle Jacob and Aunt Bella?"

Claire nodded. "Yeah!" she said exuberantly before noticing Bella and becoming a little more shy. "I guess so."

Jacob kissed her forehead. "We'll have fun, munchkin," he insisted. "Won't we, Bells?"

Bella felt as though her ovaries were pounding voraciously. "Sure. We'll have a great time, Claire," she managed to calmly reply.

Claire beamed and clapped this. "Yay!" she said, clambering over Jacob and causing him to wince when one of her tiny feet dug into his crotch during her efforts to reach Bella's lap. Holding out her arms, Bella took Claire and awkwardly sat her down, uncertain if she was doing the right thing.

Kate entered the room, holding a tiny bundle of squidgy baby, wrapped in a soft terry towelling romper suit, her previous cries now dulled to a gurgle.

"Here she is," Kate whispered, handing the baby to Jacob, the only one with free hands at that moment. He cradled baby Sophie in his arms, supporting her head with one of his large hands.

"Hi, Sophie," he cooed gently as the baby girl yawned. "You're a tired girl, huh?" he said, rocking her gently.

Bella watched him in wonder, utterly convinced her ovaries were close to exploding at the sight. She had never wanted his babies more acutely than in this moment.

Kate glanced at her watch.

"Shit! I'd better go, or I'm going to miss my flight!" she said. "Now, there's some money in the cookie jar to cover anything you might need, if you're going to use the bed for, ah, things other than sleeping, just do me a favour and put the sheets in the laundry."

"No problem, Kate," Jacob replied as Kate grabbed her dufflebag and zipped it shut.

Claire clambered out of Bella's arms and onto the floor. "Bye, Mommy," she said, hugging her legs.

Kate bent down and embraced her tightly. "I'll be back soon, sweetheart. Be good for Jacob and Bella, okay?"

"I will," Claire replied as Kate kissed her on the cheek.

Jacob took Sophie's tiny hand between his thumb and forefinger, waving it gently up and down. "Wave bye bye to mommy," he cooed as Kate pressed a kiss to Sophie's forehead.

Moment later, Kate was gone, and Bella was suddenly aware she and Jacob were responsible for two tiny lives.

She suddenly felt very scared.

Jacob, however, seemed to show no such concern. He got up and stretched his legs while continuing to rock baby Sophie.

"So, Claire. What do you want for dinner, huh?" he asked.

"Umm, can I have fish fingers?" she asked.

Jacob grinned. "Sure, if there are any in the freezer." He lent forward and handed Sophie to Bella. "Hold her, Bells. I'll sort out dinner."

"What, me?"

"Sure."

"I… I can't," she stammered. Sophie started to bawl suddenly, the noise slicing through Bella's brain as though she had been electroshocked.

Jacob smiled kindly at her. "Come on, Bells, just take her. You've been aching for kids since March."

Bella wrapped her arms around herself defensively. "Is this why you did this?" she asked quietly. "To prove to me I'd be a useless mother?"

"What? Bells, of course not," he replied. "You're not a useless mother. You're just a bit scared, but there's no need."

"You would say that, Jake," she replied, feeling a little anguish creep into her voice. "You're so good at this."

"Bella, listen to me," he said, his voice a little stern as he knelt before her. "I dropped Claire when she was a baby."

"What!"

"I was trying to help Emily, and it kind of backfired. I didn't drop her very far, and it was onto the couch, but still." He winced a little, as though reliving the presumed chastisement he got as a result. "Anyway, look at her. She's fine, aren't you, Claire?" he called out.

"I'm hungry," Claire pointed out, folding her arms impatiently.

Jacob grinned and shrugged. "See?"

Claire scooted over to them. "What's the matter?" she asked, frowning.

"Bella's worried she might hurt Sophie if she holds her," Jacob explained as Bella glared.

Claire smiled and patted Bella on the knee. "You won't hurt her," she insisted. "You just have to hold her head, like this." She grabbed Bella's arms and held them out in front of her. Then, she took Sophie from Jacob and forced the still bawling baby into Bella's arms, positioning her hand so it was supporting Sophie's head.

Bella instinctively wrapped her other arm around Sophie, holding her close to her body. The tiny baby continued to cry, and Bella gingerly rocked her back and forth. Soon enough, Sophie quietened. She yawned and stretched, before settling happily against Bella's chest, grabbing inexpertly at one of Bella's splayed fingers.

"See? She likes you," Claire said sagely before tugging Jacob's trouser pocket. "Can we look for fish fingers now?"

"Sure, kiddo," Jacob said, following her into the kitchen, while Bella sat and gazed at baby Sophie in wonder. She moved her head and looked up at Bella, reaching up with her hand and making a grab for Bella's nose.

"Hello there," Bella said in hushed tones. "I'm Bella."

"Ba ba," Sophie responded, poking Bella's nose with the palm of her little hand before tugging at her long hair, forcing Bella to tilt her head down a little to create some slack. She couldn't help but smile, and she felt her heart swell when Sophie appeared to copy her. Suddenly emboldened, she leant forward and kissed Sophie's wispy-haired head, the comforting scent of milk and Rusks wafting towards her.

"I've found some fish," Jacob announced. "We can make you some fish fingers."

"Okay," Claire replied. "Can I mix the fish fry?"

"Sure, sure."

"Yay!" Claire announced as loud bangs and crashes emanated from the kitchen. Sophie snapped her head to attention and stilled at the sound.

Bella lifted her head to see what all the clattering was about. "Jake? What are you doing?"

"We're having fish tonight," he replied, brandishing a pan in one hand and a bag of flour in the other.

"Do you need a hand?" Bella asked.

"Nah, me and Claire have got this covered," he replied, setting down the pan and flour before picking Claire up and sitting her on the work surface.

Bella watched as Jacob and Claire worked together to make up the batter mix, Claire happily getting her hands covered with the gloop and giggling when Jacob tried to paint her nose with it, or made a great show of being squeamish when gutting the fish.

"Eww! Fish guts!" she sang, revolted.

"You say 'fish guts', I say 'fish stock'," Jacob replied, putting the bones and viscera into a saucepan with some boiling water, much to the disgust of Claire.

Sophie started to squirm in Bella's grip.

"What is it, darling?" she asked, feeling a little stupid because she knew there was no way Sophie could answer her. Sophie wrinkled her nose and puffed out her cheeks for a moment.

Then Bella noticed the smell.

"Jake!" she called. "Sophie needs changing."

"Do you want me to do it?" he called back while he held Claire's hand, grasping a length of fish. He dipped the fish, and her hand, into flour, then egg, then fish fry.

"Eww, my hand's all sticky!" Claire giggled.

"It's alright; I will," Bella said uncertainly. "What do I do?"

"The stuff's in the nursery," Jacob replied. "I think Kate left instructions."

Bella cradled Sophie in her arms and stepped into the kitchen, grabbing the notebook and scooting off towards the nursery room, easily distinguished by the neutral pastel door sign, a marked difference from the lurid pink 'Claire's Room' that shouted from the adjacent door.

Opening the door and seeing the pale blue walls painted with pastel balloons and fluffy white clouds, Bella looked beyond the décor and became grateful that Kate appeared to be one of the most organised women in history. The white cot lay neatly in the corner of the room, the play area on the other side, and the far wall contained shelves of baby products. Bella presumed the white distressed chest of drawers below contained baby clothes.

Carefully holding Sophie on her hip with one hand, Bella used the other to drag a plastic baby mattress into the middle of the room before reaching for the other necessities.

"Right," Bella said as she laid Sophie down on the plastic mattress. "We can do this, Sophie."

Sophie responded by gurgling, which Bella decided to take as encouragement. With a deep breath, she glanced at the notebook of Kate's meticulous instructions.

"Okay, let's let your little onesie off, hmm?" Bella said, unpopping the buttons and gingerly taking Sophie out of the outfit and putting it to one side.

"Wet wipes, diapers, baby powder, diaper bags…" She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "I don't think I've forgotten anything."

Sophie wriggled on the mattress, and Bella had to steady her as she undid the tabs on her diaper, taking care to breathe through her mouth as she stuffed the soiled diaper into a plastic tie bag.

"Let's clean you up," she continued, confident she had heard somewhere it was good to talk to babies. Taking a wet wipe, she cleaned up baby Sophie's bottom as best she could when the girl kept wriggling as though trying to roll away.

"Stay still," she said, to which Sophie paid no heed.

Grabbing her ankles and lifting her up was Kate's recommendation, which Bella did very cautiously indeed, poised with a wet wipe and going in for the final clean before Sophie could try to wriggle from her grasp again.

By this point, Sophie didn't seem to mind, watching almost with curiosity as Bella patted her with a little talcum powder before sliding a clean diaper under her.

Fastening the tabs, Bella felt rather proud as Sophie lay there, a sort of smile on her face, looking deeply content.

"Hey, look at that!" Bella cooed, and Sophie clapped her hands together in apparent response. Bella lifted up Sophie and pulled the mattress away, laying Sophie back down on a soft rug nearby. She tried to roll to one side and blew a raspberry at Bella when she stopped her.

"Oh no you don't," Bella teased, blowing a raspberry back. Sophie gurgled in something that sounded much like a laugh to Bella. Emboldened, she blew a tiny raspberry against Sophie's chest, and the gurgle-laugh increased in intensity.

"You like your Aunt Bella, huh?" Bella said, feeling impressed with the calm, competent way she handled such a task.

Putting Sophie back into the onesie, however, proved to be far more difficult task. To Bella's amazement, Sophie was quite able to crawl, and demonstrated this to Bella the moment she tried to get the onesie anywhere near her, scuttling across the room, Bella having to chase after her on her hands and knees.

"Get back here!" Bella said in a sing-song voice, Sophie slipping through her grip once again and making her way towards the play area.

A few false starts later, and Bella managed to get the wriggling, suddenly active Sophie on her lap and had managed to get one tiny mocha limb into the foot of the onesie. As she started on the other leg, Sophie grabbed the sleeve and put it into her mouth.

"Don't chew that," Bella said, hastily finding a soft toy for Sophie to play with. A knitted rabbit swiftly found its ears shoved in Sophie's mouth while Bella finished getting three-quarters of Sophie into her clothes.

"Other arm, sweetie," Bella said, gently taking Sophie's bare arm in her hand and prising it loose of the toy for a moment, slipping it into the last slightly damp sleeve before Sophie could register her displeasure.

"There we are, all nice and clean," Bella said softly. Sophie looked up at her and hit her on the nose with the toy rabbit, grinning all the while.

"Cheeky," Bella replied, taking the toy and waving it in Sophie's face, pulling it gently away as she reached for it, then bringing it back teasingly, before giving it back to her and letting her squeeze it in her hands, nestling her head against Bella's tummy.

Bella watched her, a contented smile spreading across her face as she held her, unable to stop herself from thinking about how amazing it would be if this were her and Jacob's child.

Unable to stop herself from thinking she really could do this.

* * *

It took just one messy dinner, where Bella couldn't recall if she had been vomited over or had puree thrown at her more; some bedtime bargaining with an astonishingly canny four year old who made Donald Trump look like a weak negotiator; a bath time which involved Bella getting bathed more than baby Sophie and Jacob clambering into the bath with Claire and holding her in position when she refused to let them shampoo her hair, for the gloss of parenthood to begin to dull for Bella.

"Okay, I get it." She sighed as she staggered into the bedroom clad in a fluffy bath robe, having gained a new appreciation for the precious minutes one gets alone in a shower.

"Get what, honey?" Jacob asked, sitting on the bed clad in only his boxers with his nose in a magazine that purported to contain the one hundred sexiest women on the planet.

"Babies. Kids. They're hard work," she said firmly, flopping onto the bed next to Jacob, her wet hair fanning behind her.

Jacob put down the magazine and looked at her with hope in his eyes. "Does that mean we get a few years to think about this?" he asked, stroking the belt of her robe.

"I'm not sure." Bella admitted. "We did alright with Claire and baby Sophie." She smiled. "Okay, Claire's a bit of a handful, but that has to be a sign of intelligence." Tilting her head to one side, she could see the frown lines etched on Jacob's forehead and stroked his hand comfortingly. "I just think we'd make a really good family together, babe."

Jacob raised his eyebrows. "I think we need more practise in the things we have to do to get a family. As soon as possible." He reached across Bella's bath robe and started to undo the belt. "Like right now…"

Bella smacked him as hard as she could with her pillow. "Cheeky," she muttered through her teeth, swatting him in the face.

"Sorry, Bells. I just can't resist." He managed to undo the belt fully before Bella swiftly straddled him, pinning his wrists to the bed.

"You're going to pay for that!" She giggled, her bath robe falling open as though on cue.

"Oh, really?" Jacob replied, deliberately looking her up and down. Bella smiled seductively, and ground her hips down against his loins.

"Really," she replied, teasing him with chaste kisses on his lips, face and neck, being rewarded by his ever-increasing erection pushing against her.

"Now, are you going to be a good boy and stay still if I let go?" she teased.

"Man, since when have I been a good boy around you, Bells?" Jacob murmured as she grazed his earlobe with her teeth.

"If you don't start tonight, then I won't be able to take this bathrobe off, will I?" Bella whispered.

"Okay, okay. I'll behave. Scout's Honour," Jacob replied hastily, lacing his fingers around the headboard as though to further prove his compliance.

Bella flashed him her most wicked smile as she took her hands away from his wrists and sat up straight, slowly exposing her left shoulder, then her right as she slid the robe off.

"Oh, Bella. You're so beautiful," he breathed as though seeing her for the first time. She tossed the robe to one side and began to crawl backwards, moving past his boxer shorts until she was resting her buttocks on his knees.

"Say it again," she demanded.

"You're beautiful," he replied eagerly. "I love you."

"And I'm all yours," she added, wrapping her fingers around the waistband of his boxers and tugging them down before climbing off his legs and kneeling to the side of him, allowing her to pull his boxer shorts clean away. She traced a feather-light touch along the arch of his foot, causing him to squirm.

"Aww, cut it out, Bells," he begged, giggling.

"You're not the only one who 'just can't resist', babe," she replied, straddling his legs once again before bending down over his crotch and placing a kiss to his thigh.

"Bells…"

"There's so much about you I can't resist, Jake," she breathed, taking his cock in her hand and slowly, deliberately running her tongue over the head. As she went deeper, slipping her lips further along, Jacob's hand flew to her hair, caressing from her head down to the nape of her neck.

"Jesus, Bella. That feels so—"

"I can't sleep; there's a monster under my bed!"

Claire was standing at the edge of their bed looking fraught and anxious, the door having fallen shut with a creak and a thud.

Bella had never disentangled herself from Jacob so quickly in all her life.

"A monster, honey?" Jacob stammered, while hastily covering his most intimate areas up with a pillow just as Bella flung the bath robe around her like a makeshift blanket.

"Yeah," Claire replied, her little voice sounding fretful as she twisted her foot against the carpet.

Bella surreptitiously tried to clothe herself in her bathrobe while Jacob knelt in front of Claire, one hand still holding the pillow in place, the other patting her on the head comfortingly.

"Tell you what, sweetheart, Uncle Jacob's just going to go and get his patented monster-bashing kit together, but it's going to take a little while." He looked up at Bella, now wearing her bathrobe as opposed to holding it against her, and she understood why. Jacob's patent monster bashing would have to wait until he could walk around in a pair of boxer shorts without looking like the Borrowers had pitched camp there. "But I know for a fact that Aunt Bella is really good at taming monsters. Especially those pesky one-eyed ones," he insisted, winking at Bella as she glared.

"This one has eight eyes, Aunt Bella. And eight legs," Claire insisted fearfully, tugging at Bella's robe.

"I can handle an eight-eyed, eight-legged monster, don't you worry," Bella said fiercely, which seemed to comfort Claire somewhat. "We'll go and find the creep and keep him busy until Uncle Jacob arrives, hmm?" she offered, taking Claire's hand and wondering how exactly one convincingly pretends to lure a spider out from under a little girl's bed.

* * *

Bella flicked the light on in Claire's scarily pink room, and a calming pink glow effused through the rose lampshade, highlighting the gauzy curtains on the handmade princess bed, carved and lacquered to look like a carriage. For a moment, Bella wondered if Jacob had constructed it.

"It's under there!" Claire whispered, clutching Bella's hand tightly as she pointed under the bed with her free hand.

"It's okay, sweetie. We'll keep him busy," Bella soothed, clambering down on her hand and knees and peering under the bed.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," she sang, glancing between the boxes of art supplies and toys that were too young for Claire but still too old for Sophie.

"Don't! You'll make him come out!" Claire whined.

"Oh, he's more afraid of us that we are of-"

Without warning, the biggest spider Bella had ever seen scuttled towards her, long thick legs protruding from its bulbous body, beady eyes glinting under the soft light.

She screamed in shock and leapt to her feet.

"I told you!" Claire insisted, backing against the wall.

"Jake! Come quick! It's a spider, and it's massive!" Bella called out, taking a place next to Claire near the wall and eyeballing the spider as it stilled, scuttled, and stilled again at the sound of their voices.

Soon enough, Jacob ambled into the room, wearing his boxer shorts, a mop head as a hat and brandishing a wooden stick that used to be attached to said mop head.

"Never fear, ladies," he drawled. "Jacob Black, monster catcher extraordinaire is on the case!"

Claire frowned. "You look silly, Uncle Jacob."

"I find it best to humour him, Claire," Bella stage whispered, causing Claire to collapse into fits of giggles, although Bella assumed it was due to the shared camaraderie rather than Claire actually understanding the comment.

Jacob scoffed as he bent down to examine the floor. "You two won't be so quick to mock when I get rid of your monster… Shit, that thing's huge!" He jumped up and backed away, mop head falling to the floor, his expression one of revulsion.

"Just get rid of it!" Bella demanded.

"Why me?"

"Because you're the man!"

"Oh, so nearly one hundred years of female emancipation means nothing all of a sudden?" Jacob sighed at the look of cold fury on Bella's face as she stared pointedly at him.

"Fine, I'll get a bucket," he said resignedly, shuffling out of the room and pausing only to pick up the mop head and put it back on his head.

* * *

Ten minutes of chasing a spider so huge it could have escaped from Jim Henderson's Workshop, and Jacob had managed to part coax, part force the offending creature into a plastic bucket. Bella soothed Claire while he carried the bucket at arm's length outside, and on his return, they spent a good half an hour upturning all of Claire's furniture until she was satisfied he hadn't left a friend behind.

By the time Claire had fallen asleep and they had returned to their bedroom, Bella had remembered they had something far worse to worry about.

"Oh, God," she whispered, pacing frantically. "What do we do?"

"About what, honey?" Jacob asked, yawning as he did so, the mop still firmly atop his head.

"About Claire!" Bella hissed. "She saw me… and you… Oh, God!"

"Relax, honey," Jacob said, taking her hand and squeezing it comfortingly in both of his. "She was probably far too busy thinking about the monster." He shuddered. "I had no idea spiders that size even existed outside of fossils."

"Forget the spider!" Bella hissed. "She saw us naked! She saw…" Bella couldn't find the words, so instead pointed to her mouth and pointed to Jacob's crotch. He sniggered.

"It's not funny," Bella fumed.

"Look, if she asks about it, we'll tell her something," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "But there's no point making it a big deal for her if she doesn't, right?"

"What on earth is Kate going to think?"

"We'll tell her. I'm sure she won't freak."

Bella laughed humourlessly. "Yeah. Sure. No mother would freak if their four year old saw their babysitters enacting something out of a porn film!"

Jacob pulled Bella into his arms. "Honey, she gave us permission to be all snuggly in this bed. We'll worry about it if we need to, okay?" he soothed.

"Sure, sure," Bella replied, sitting in his lap and wrapping her arms around him.

"Anyway, where were we?" Jacob asked, tucking his hand under Bella's bathrobe and caressing her left breast.

"Oh, I forget." Bella sighed, her breath hitching as he grazed her nipple.

"I think somebody wanted to thank their big strong, spider-fighting hero of a boyfriend," he urged between the languid kisses he placed along her collar bone. "Possibly with their slippery little—"

"Jake!" Bella smacked his arm gently.

"Come on, honey. You know you want it."

"Not with that thing on your head, I don't."

"What, my monster bashing ensemble doesn't turn you on?" He pursed his bottom lip as though offended.

"Jacob, there is no way on Earth I will have sex with you dressed like that. Ever," she insisted, grabbing the mop head and throwing it to the floor.

"Kiss me, then, you spider-fearing sex bomb," he demanded, and Bella complied as best she could while giggling. Jacob grabbed her mid-kiss and twirled her onto the bed, untying the belt of her robe as he pressed against her. Bella slipped her hands along his shoulders, digging her short nails into his back.

Sophie's cries distracted them both.

"Aww, man. It's time for her night feed, right?" Jacob commented. Bella nodded and gently pushed at Jacob's chest. He rolled over and she got up from the bed.

"You want me to go, honey?" he offered.

Bella shook her head. "It's fine, babe. You handled the spider. I'll handle this."

Carefully, Bella crept to the kitchen and retrieved the milk bottle she had left out to warm, testing it on her elbow. Satisfied the mixture wasn't too hot or too cold, she snuck up to Sophie's room and opened the door, quickly shutting it to shield Claire from Sophie's cries.

"Hey there, sweetie," Bella crooned softly. "You hungry?"

Resting the bottle on the dresser, she picked Sophie up and gently rocked her, hoping the bawling baby would calm enough to be fed her bottle.

She sat down in the armchair and tried to offer Sophie the bottle, but baby Sophie was having none of it.

"Shush, darling," Bella soothed, rocking her back and forth, but Sophie continued to cry—for a solid half an hour, while showing no signs of stopping.

"Bella?" Jacob's voice was thick and deep as he poked his head around the door. "Is everything alright?"

"She won't settle," Bella said frantically. "I've tried to feed her, but she won't stop crying."

Jacob entered the room and shut the door behind him before closing the distance between them.

"Want me to try, honey?" he offered, and Bella handed the squealing Sophie to him.

"Hush, baby, hush," he said in a whispered sing-song voice, jigging Sophie up and down as he paced the room, Bella resting her head in her hands.

Another half an hour passed, and Sophie was still crying, red faced with the effort. Bella was starting to wonder where she got all that energy from.

Jacob held Sophie in both hands, at arm's length, apparently trying to stare her down.

"What's the matter, you freak baby?" he asked despairingly, still trying to jig her up and down.

"Maybe we should keep her still?" Bella offered. Jacob shrugged and handed her back to Bella, who held her close to her bosom, keeping as still as possible.

"I don't think it's making any difference, Bells," Jacob said wearily, sitting down on the rug next to the chair.

"Just give it a chance," Bella retorted.

Twenty-seven minutes seemed like chance enough, and Sophie was still bawling. Bella stared at her helplessly, feeling like an utter failure and the cruellest babysitter in history for not being able to comfort a small baby. Food, sleep, water, changing, cuddles; what else did babies actually want?

"Oh, God. Why won't she stop?" Bella asked, tears pricking her eyes.

"Oh, Bells." Jacob was on his feet almost instantaneously, wrapping his arms around them both. "It's okay, honey."

Unable to stop herself, Bella began to cry.

"Is this what you wanted?" she asked of Sophie. "My tears? Are they enough for you?"

Sophie continued to cry, only this time, she seemed even more anguished. If the Israelites' trumpets had brought down the walls of Jericho, Bella was fairly certain Sophie could have levelled half of Canaan.

Jacob swiftly took Sophie out of Bella's arms. "Get some sleep, honey," he said. "I'll see what I can do."

"We've tried everything!" Bella insisted, flopping her head against the back of the chair. "We've changed her, even though she didn't need it. We've tried to feed her, water her, cuddle her. I'm out of ideas! You?"

"Alright, Bella. Chill. I'm just as worried as you are," Jacob replied.

"Sorry, Jake."

"It's cool, Bells. We'll figure it out." He smiled weakly. "You got a tranquiliser gun? Valium? Chamomile tea?"

"Huh?"

"Good for PMS, so Rachel says," Jacob replied.

Suddenly, Bella had a brainwave. Excitedly, she jumped out of her chair, the settling fatigue temporarily washed away by her trepid euphoria.

"Bella?"

"I'll be back in a minute!" she promised and dashed out of the room to their bedroom, where she grabbed her overnight bag and emptied the contents onto the double bed, picking out the items she needed and carrying them back to the nursery.

Sophie was still crying, Jacob holding her and half-heartedly rocking her as he sat on the nursery chair. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as Bella placed a few small bottles on the floor.

"Aromatherapy?" He smirked. "For us or the Baby Banshee here?"

"For Sophie," Bella replied, gesturing towards the rug. "I mean, just with olive oil. I'm not going to try all the scented oils, I don't think that's good for babies. Could you lay her down here?"

Jacob grabbed one of the soft towels and put it on the rug before laying Sophie's bawling, pink, squirming body onto it.

"Hey, you're in for a treat, baby," he soothed as he undid Sophie's onesie. "Aunt Bella's going to give you a massage. Uncle Jacob can tell you from experience that Aunt Bella's really, really good at it."

"Jake!"

"What? She's a baby. She won't know," he insisted. Bella rolled her eyes and dropped a small amount of lavender oil onto a handkerchief and laid it next to the crying Sophie in the hope the scent might induce sleep. Then she mixed a tiny amount of olive oil between her hands and began to massage Sophie with gentle circular movements across her chest and stomach, sweeping across her shoulders and down her arms and legs.

To Bella's relief and amazement, Sophie's crying began to slow, and soon she was watching Bella with curiosity as she continued her massage.

"Wow, you're like the Baby Whisperer or something," Jacob said, awestruck, as Bella carefully rolled Sophie onto her back and continued to carefully stroke upwards.

The door opened, and a bleary-eyed, tear stricken Claire toddled into the room.

"I couldn't find you. Why aren't you in bed?" she yawned.

"I could say the same to you, missy," Jacob said.

"I couldn't sleep," Claire moaned. "I had a nightmare and then Sophie was crying." She sat herself on the floor as though overwhelmed by the whole night time experience.

"Poor thing," Jacob said soothingly, gesturing for Claire to join him for a cuddle. She did so without question and nuzzled her head against his chest.

"It was horrible," she whimpered. "The big spider was chasing me, and it tried to eat me, but it ate Sophie first, and then it chopped Aunt Bella's leg off with its claw." She began to cry again.

"Shh," Jacob soothed, rocking her in his arms. "It was just a bad dream. The nasty old spider isn't eating anyone, okay? He's gone out to the woods to find his friends."

Claire sat up straight and stared at him, fear in her eyes.

"He's going to bring them here!" she exclaimed. Sophie stilled at the noise, and Bella held her breath in fear. Sophie hiccupped and didn't cry. The sheer relief threatened to bring tears to Bella's eyes.

"Shh," Jacob said, lowering his voice. "We don't want Sophie to cry again." He stroked Claire's hair. "The spider's not coming back. He's telling all of his friends to stay away, because we're scary. Why do you think I wore the mop?"

Claire shrugged.

Jacob grinned. "Because spiders totally freak out at mop heads. True story," he said, and Claire seemed mollified by this.

"What's Aunt Bella doing?" she asked, watching Bella's fluid movements as she caressed Sophie into relaxation.

"She's giving her a massage," Jacob replied.

"What's that?"

"She rubs her in a special way, and it helps her sleep," Jacob replied, and Bella fought the urge to laugh when she saw him grimace a moment later, presumably as the unintentional innuendo hit him.

"Can I have one? It's not fair; I can't sleep either," Claire asked, with all the intense jealousy of a sibling being denied what another was receiving. "Please?"

Jacob sighed. "Okay, when Bella's finished," he said as Bella wrapped Sophie in the warm towel and cuddled her.

"Can't you do it, Uncle Jacob?" she asked innocently, and Bella noticed he appeared somewhat taken aback.

"Umm, I guess, yeah," he replied uncertainly.

"Do I need to take my nightie off?"

"Well, it generally—" Jacob didn't have time to finish his sentence before Claire had disrobed.

Bella watched Jacob grab the bottle of oil while she managed to feed Sophie, who happily took to her bottle. He slathered some of the mixture over his hands.

"Lie down on your tummy, Claire," he instructed gently, and Claire happily complied, giggling as he put his fingers on her shoulders.

"It tickles!" she exclaimed.

"Well, tickling won't help you sleep, will it? Try thinking of happy things. Sleepy things," Jacob suggested as he slid his fingers across her shoulders and up her back, gentle, sweeping motions that soon had Claire yawning and flopping her head forward.

After a brief winding and a gentle cradle later, Sophie was fast asleep, and Bella felt remarkably proud of herself.

"She's asleep," Bella whispered, in case any louder sound would set her off again.

"Yeah, I think Claire's gone, too," he said, slipping her nightgown over her as best he could without disturbing her slumbering form.

"I'll put this one to bed," Bella whispered, pushing open the nursery door.

"I'll take Claire," Jacob replied, scooping up the girl in his strong arms. "Boy, am I going to have some explaining to do to her mom," he said with a heavy sigh. "Like why I've been oiling up her first-born."

Bella glanced at the clock on the nearby chest of drawers and saw it was almost time to get up.

For the first time in four months, Bella entertained the notion that maybe now wasn't a good time for her and Jacob to be trying for a baby.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Reality Check

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **A chance reunion gives Bella food for thought.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- thejmeyer (who also helpfully pointed out that us Brits don't pronounce the word 'hereditary' in the same way as our cousins across the pond... you learn something new every day).

**NB: **I don't as a rule paste up reviews here, but I simply had to share the words of wisdom _wordslinger_ offered for the last chapter:

_Dear Bella, _

_Sometimes your ovaries lie. They make you think you need a baby, but you really don't. The problem with listening to your ovaries is that they don't have to do any of the work associated with a baby. None of it. That's all you, dear. So go ahead and hit the snooze button on your biological clock. I promise it'll be ok._

_Love,_

_Exhausted Mother in California_

Wise words indeed.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Reality Check**

The next morning, Bella was sure she would have been pacing frantically were it not for the fact she was bone tired, the result of a grand total of two and a half hours of unbroken sleep. Instead she sat in the waiting room of the health centre, rolling Sophie's stroller along and back with one hand, keeping her eye on Claire who was perusing the children's books stacked up in the corner.

Soon enough, Claire rushed over clutching a book which had a yellow dog with a brown spot on the cover. She clambered up onto the seat next to Bella and rested the book on her knees.

"Is Uncle Jacob sick?" she asked while opening the book to the first page.

"No, sweetie," Bella replied. "He just has to get some test results."

"Test results? Like the big kids at school?"

"No, not those kind of tests. The doctor examined him and wanted to see a sample."

"Is that why he came out of the bathroom with a cup of pee pee?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, that's right," Bella replied, grateful that only a few people sitting in the medical centre glanced over at Claire's words. "He just went to give it to the doctor."

"Why?" Claire's finger was hovering over the first word of the book, but she seemed to find her conversation with Bella far more engrossing.

"To check he doesn't have diabetes."

"Why?"

"Because he might get it."

"Why?"

"Because his dad has it."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Claire. I think it's hereditary."

"What's hairy-tary?" Clair poked her tongue out as though feeling the new word in the air.

"Hair-red-it-tary," Bella corrected slowly. "It's when you get things from your parents."

Claire wrinkled her nose. "Like candy?"

Bella managed a smile at this. "No, like your hair, or your nose, or your eyes. Those things that make you look like your parents. Your mommy and daddy."

"Oh." Claire frowned at this. "What's die-beat-ees?"

"Die-_a_-beat-ees. It's a kind of illness where the person can't digest sugar properly, and you have to take special medicine to stop it from building up in their blood and making them sick."

Claire nodded and sighed heavily. "Jacob's daddy is mean," she announced wearily.

"What makes you say that? Billy's a very nice man," Bella replied firmly.

Claire shrugged. "If he gave Jacob hair-red-it-tary die-beat-ees, that's not very nice."

"He didn't do it on purpose, Claire. Nobody can control what you get from your parents. My mom had blue eyes, but mine are brown because my dad's are. They didn't choose that, it just happened," Bella explained calmly, although she felt she was drowning under Claire's sea of perfectly innocent questions. "Jacob's dad will be very sad indeed if Jacob is sick like him, okay?"

"Okay," Claire replied happily before tracing her fingers along the large print words in front of her. "See… Spot… Run," she read aloud, all previous philosophical discussion apparently wiped clean from her mind. "Run… Spot… Run…"

Jacob came out of the consulting room, shutting the door behind him.

"Well?" Bella asked impatiently as he walked towards them.

"All clear, Bells," he assured her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "This teetotal basketball player's in peak physical health."

"I was worried too!" Claire insisted, pointing at her cheek. Jacob hesitated momentarily before pressing a little kiss to Claire's cheek as well.

"Well, I'm fine, cupcake. Nothing to worry about," he said.

"Good," Claire replied. "Can we go to the park now?"

"Sure, sure," he said as Bella stood up and manoeuvred the stroller along the floor and towards the exit.

* * *

"I'm starting to think that girl's got a crush on you," Bella said to Jacob as Claire ran full speed towards the play area, scampering over the climbing frame.

"Nah, she's worse with Quil," Jacob insisted, shrugging his shoulders. "I think she just likes guys a whole bunch."

Bella giggled. "Her mom's going to be so stressed when Claire's older," she said pushing the stroller along the path as they ambled along, Jacob holding one of several bags of equipment. It seemed as though having a baby required you to turn into a tortoise, practically carrying your whole house on your back whenever you and baby stepped out of the door.

"Do you know when the Sullivans are coming to pick up the car?" Bella asked. This summer, Jacob had found a novel new way of earning a living. Instead of taking a summer job like Bella had at a local kids' camp, Jacob had taken to building cars from scrap and selling them on. There were two sitting proudly in the Black's garage right now, and one parked in Forks awaiting its new owner.

"Midday, I think," he replied. "Dan said he'd call me when they were in town. He wanted to keep it a surprise for his kid," he replied.

"Aunt Bella, Uncle Jacob! Look at me!" Claire called out happily from the top of the frame.

"Wow, look at you! So high you'll catch the Thunderbird!" Jacob shouted encouragingly.

"Oh, be careful, Claire," Bella said, her stomach twisting slightly every time Claire took her hand off the climbing frame to reach up into the sky. She took one look at Jacob's beaming expression and realised the two of them had very different outlooks when it came to child safety.

"She'll be fine, Bells," Jacob assured her. "Kids are bouncy at this age."

"Bouncy? Is that the medical term?"

Jacob shrugged. "You know what I mean. They pick themselves up and carry on," he said, just as Claire climbed back down to where a small blonde boy was watching her with interest.

Jacob glared at the boy. "He'd better not be looking up her dress," he muttered.

Bella swatted him on the arm. "Of course he isn't; he can't be any older than four!"

"What are you trying to catch?" the boy asked as Claire jumped the last six inches to the bark-strewn ground.

"The Thunderbird," she replied with assured certainty.

"What's that?" he asked and was greeted by Claire's slightly supercilious sigh.

"Everyone knows who the Thunderbird is," she said wearily.

"I don't. It sounds silly."

Claire stomped her foot angrily. "It is not silly!"

"Is too."

"Is not!" To further clarify her point, she pinched the boy on the arm, and he yelped in pain.

"You're mean!" he wailed.

"You're mean!" she shouted back.

Bella rushed over, leaving Jacob to tend to baby Sophie.

"Stop it, you two!" she chided.

"But, Aunt Bella, he was being mean!"

"She pinched me, and it hurt!"

Bella grabbed the two of them and made them face each other. "Come on," she said. "What happened?"

"He said the Thunderbird was silly," Claire said hotly. "And it isn't silly, is it, Aunt Bella?"

"No, it isn't silly, sweetie. But that doesn't mean you can pinch him," she scolded.

Claire looked at the floor. "Sorry, Aunt Bella," she said in a funeral dirge of a voice.

"I think you should say sorry to this little man," Bella pointed out, before tapping the boy gently on the nose. "And maybe you should let her tell you about the Thunderbird. Then you'll see it isn't silly."

The two children eyed each other warily before Claire tentatively stuck out her hand.

"Sorry," she said, looking at the floor. The boy grabbed her hand.

"What's Thunderbird?" he asked.

Claire grinned. "It's the big bird that fought a giant whale that was going to squash us all but it didn't because the Thunderbird fought it with lightening from its eyes and the whale died and the Quileutes ate it all up."

"Lightening from its eyes? Like Superman?"

"Better than Superman."

"Cool."

Soon, the two children were running around the play area, arguing over who got to be Thunderbird and who got to be the whale, and as Bella watched, she wasn't sure she could even tell what they had decided on.

Jacob, carriage in hand, walked over to Bella and kissed her on the forehead.

"You are the best negotiator ever," he said proudly.

"I sure am," she replied, taking baby Sophie from the stroller and cuddling her in her arms. "Do you want to go on the swing with Aunt Bella?" she cooed, sitting on the swing and pushed it with the force of her feet against the ground, just enough to set the swing in a gentle motion.

"Want a push, Bells?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, don't, Jake," she said. "I think this is just enough for Sophie."

Sophie giggled and gurgled, seemingly quite happy on the swing in Bella's arms.

"See, Jake. This is nice," Bella pointed out. "You, me, kids."

"Yeah," Jacob replied. "But it'll be even nicer in five, ten years' time when we've got stable jobs and a home of our own," he countered. "And we've done all those things you can't really do when you've got kids."

"Such as?"

"Such as seeing the world? You wanted to go to Europe, remember?"

Bella sighed. "Yeah, I remember," she said fondly. "But that's kind of a pipe dream. We're never actually going to manage it, unless one of us wins the lottery."

"I never play," Jacob replied. "It's a tax on hope."

Suddenly, Claire rushed up to Jacob and tugged at his jacket. "Can we go on the swing, Uncle Jacob!" She grinned at the blonde boy by her side. "Uncle Jacob pushes really high!"

"Both of you?" Jacob asked before shrugging. "Sure, sure. Why not?"

With a practised air, he hauled Claire into one of the children's swing seats, the boy into the other.

"Hold on tight, guys," he said gently pushing them high, but not enough to frighten them.

Bella watched them in shock. "Jake, you can't just acquire other people's children!"

Jacob laughed. "Aww, come on, Bells, I'm just giving him a push," he replied as the two children giggled with excitement.

"What do you think you're doing?" a woman shrieked, her curled brown hair flowing behind her as she rushed towards them.

"Told you," Bella said, as Jacob raised his palms in surrender.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said as the woman reached them. "He and Claire just made friends and-"

"That does not give you the right to start playing with my son," she spat, dragging the bewildered boy out of the swing seat and away from an equally confused Claire. She whirled around and glared at Jacob. "That might be acceptable for you people, but it most certainly is not how we conduct ourselves."

Bella felt her blood grow hot at her words; she rather hoped she merely imagined their intent.

Jacob stared at the woman in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"You lot," she said with an unmistakeable tone of disgust in her voice. "You might be happy to pass your kids around to whomever will take them, but we're a little more discerning." She held the little boy closer to her body as though shielding him.

"Whoa, hang on. I made a mistake and I apologised. Rip me a new one, sure, but this has nothing to do with 'my lot' as you put it." He looked rather furious at this point, but it didn't come close to matching how Bella felt, her guts twisting in horror and disbelief as the unfolding situation.

The woman set her little boy on the ground, where he rushed clumsily towards Claire. She then turned around and faced Jacob, anger etched into her features.

"Well, if your lot didn't get so many government hand-outs," she raged, "maybe us hard-working families wouldn't have to struggle to subsidise—"

The rest of her onslaught was lost in Jacob's howling laughter.

"Oh please," he said, wiping his eyes. "I don't know what bull you've been listening to, but if you seriously think you're the injured party…" He burst into fresh giggles, which served only to infuriate the woman further.

"Go back to your reservation!"

"These kids have just as much right to play here as yours do," Jacob retorted smoothly.

"Don't you have your own park to play in? One that my taxes probably paid for?" The woman folded her arms in grim triumph.

Bella stood up cradling Sophie in her arms. "Please, just stop it," she begged. "You're upsetting them!" She gestured towards Claire and the little blonde boy, both of whom looked near tears.

Jacob's expression softened, and he knelt down to face the two children. "Sorry, guys," he said. "I didn't mean to shout."

The little boy took hold of Claire's hand, and the woman pulled a face as though she had caught whiff of an unpleasant stench.

"Get your half caste kids away from my boy," she sneered at Bella, who felt as though she had been physically slapped across the face.

"What?" Her first thoughts weren't even to correct the woman.

"You heard me, you little tramp."

Jacob's eyes were like fire. "Don't you talk to my girlfriend like that!"

"Not even married? Now why isn't that a surprise?"

"Maria, leave them alone! I went to school with Bella here; she's a nice girl. So's her boyfriend."

Bella was stunned to see Mike Newton, older and apparently calmer than the times they had spent avoiding each other at school, place his hand on the woman's shoulder and gently pull her away. Bella noticed she seemed oddly obedient.

"Certainly, Mr Newton," Maria said stiffly. "I'll see you on Monday."

She grabbed hold of her son's hand. "Come along, Oscar."

"But I want to play with Claire—"

"No, you don't. She's not very nice."

"Why?"

"Because she isn't."

"Why?"

"Because… It doesn't matter! Come along!"

Reluctantly, Oscar let go of Claire and she started to cry. Bella decided, looking back, that it was this that pushed her over the edge. Wordlessly, she handed Sophie over to Jacob, far more calmly than she felt.

"Excuse me," she said, running after Maria, who turned around in disgust.

"What do you…?" She didn't finish her sentence, too stunned by Bella slapping her hard across the face.

"How dare you make that sweet little girl cry! How dare you talk to my Jacob like that— he's worth a hundred of you!" she screeched, reaching to yank out the woman's hair and stopping only because Mike held her back.

"Bella, let it go," Jacob said as he knelt on the grass, one arm holding Sophie, the other cuddling Claire. "She isn't worth it."

"Come on, Bella," Mike urged as Maria glared.

"I should call Chief Swan. He'll sort you out!" she threatened, at which Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you could, but that would mean Bella and Jacob would have to sit in an interview room and tell her dad that she was provoked because you were inciting racial hatred," he replied evenly. Maria opened her mouth to protest but then seemed to think better of it. Instead she glared at Bella and stormed off.

"Bye, Oscar," Claire called out in a sad little voice. The little boy turned around.

"Bye, Claire," he said in an equally sorry tone as his mother briskly dragged him out of the park.

Mike, Bella and Jacob stood staring at each other for a while.

Eventually, Jacob broke the silence. "Thanks, man."

Mike waved his hand. "Don't mention it," he replied and with those words, ended years of unspoken tension between the three of them. He then looked at Jacob, then Bella, then Claire, then baby Sophie.

"They're not your kids, are they?" he half asked, half stated.

"No. We're babysitting," Bella explained. "Umm, it's good to see you, Mike. How are things?"

He smiled wearily. "Things are… Well, things are interesting."

At that moment, a plump girl, clearly pregnant, rushed towards them as best she could, snaking her arm around Mike.

"What's going on, darling?" she asked, and Bella just about managed to stop herself from gawping in shock.

"Jessica? Jessica Stanley?" Bella called out in surprise.

Jessica smiled. "Well, it's Jessica Newton now, but yeah." Her expression bordered on smug as she showed off her engagement ring and wedding band. Bella suddenly felt her stomach plunge towards her knees.

"Congratulations," she said, careful to erase any hint of resentment from her voice. "When did this happen?"

Jessica smiled sweetly. "We got married at Easter. It all happened kind of fast."

"Yeah, it took a while to get our heads around it," Mike added, with the expression of someone whose life had rushed ahead five years before he had chance to catch up with it.

"Didn't you guys go to college?" Jacob asked, while putting little Sophie in her baby carriage.

"Yeah, we were both at Evergreen State," Mike pointed out.

"My professors kind of expected me to drop out when they saw the bump," Jessica admitted, "but I graduated. I'm helping Mike and his folks run the store right now, until little Gwendolyn arrives."

"Or Tyler," Mike corrected.

"We'll see, sweetie," Jessica replied indulgently as Bella felt an uncomfortable stab of jealously that she did her utmost to ignore. She felt Jacob squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. He said nothing; he didn't have to.

"I'm sure you'll be thrilled whether it's a boy or a girl," Bella said as brightly as she could.

Claire walked over to Bella and tugged on her hand.

"What is it, Claire?" she asked. Claire looked warily over towards Jessica and Mike before turning back to Bella.

"I'm hungry," she said shyly.

"Well, we can do something about that," Bella said before forcing a smile at Jessica and Mike. "We'd better go. Claire needs her dinner and I reckon Sophie's going to get hungry soon."

"Hey, why don't we all go to the diner in town?" Jessica suggested, bending over slightly to peer at Claire. "They have milkshakes. You'd like that, huh, sweetie?"

"Yeah!" Claire replied enthusiastically, the trauma of earlier apparently all but forgotten.

"Sure. Great," Bella replied. She couldn't think of a better way to spend her afternoon than with a constant reminder of the baby she wasn't having right now taunting her through Jessica's maternity dress.

* * *

As they entered the diner and took a seat at one of the bigger booths, Bella still found herself staring at Jessica and Mike. The matching wedding rings, Jessica's heavily pregnant form; Bella felt ten years younger than them, surrounded by the red and white striped upholstery and tablecloths. Mike and Jacob took seats next to the window, Jacob settling Claire next to him. Bella put Sophie in the high chair at the end of the table before sitting herself down next to Claire, who giggled as Jessica slid herself ungainly into a seat at the booth next to Mike.

"Her tummy's really big," Claire said to Bella. "Will it get stuck?"

"Claire, we don't talk behind people's backs," Bella remonstrated. Claire appeared puzzled at this.

"I didn't," she insisted. "I'm in front of her."

Jacob mussed Claire's hair. "Aunt Bella means you mustn't say things about people that you wouldn't say to them."

"Oh, okay," Claire replied, before staring at Jessica. "Your tummy's really big, will it get stuck?"

Jessica smothered a smile. "We'll fit just fine, Claire," she said, happily patting her swollen belly.

"Why is your tummy really big?" she asked.

"Because Mike and I are going to have a baby," Jessica replied, squeezing Mike's hand.

"Yeah, like your mommy did when you got your little sister," he offered, gesturing towards baby Sophie, who was busy playing with a chewable jigsaw Bella had put out in front of her.

Claire looked at Mike and nodded before turning her attention back to Jessica.

"Will you have to poo it out in a paddling pool, then?" she asked innocently. Jessica looked rather bewildered.

"Erm—"

"That's what Mommy did. They put a paddling pool in the living room and she sat in it and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed for a whole day. Then I went to bed at Aunt Emily's house where I have a blue bed with lots of pillows, but it's not as good as my room at home because it's pink and has a bed like a princess' carriage, then I came back and she was still screaming." Claire rolled her eyes at her own words. "Then she made a face like she was doing a big poo that hurt for hours and hours and then Sophie popped up and she was all icky." Claire started arranging the cutlery near her into a triangle shape on the diner table. "And she had a thing attached to her belly button, which was icky, and they cut it off and there was blood everywhere and Sophie screamed and Mommy cried." She looked up a now rather pale Mike and nodded firmly, acknowledging the end of her anecdote.

They all looked at each other in silence, Jacob in particular clearly trying not to laugh. Claire continued to make geometric shapes with the cutlery, grabbing Mike's spoon to make a square, oblivious to the mood that had settled amongst the four adults.

"So, looking forward to being a mom?" Jacob asked Jessica brightly.

"Erm, I _was_," Jessica replied, her eyes wide like saucers.

This broke the tension and they all laughed, just as a waitress came up to them with some laminated menus.

"Hi there," the waitress, whose name badge had the name 'Stacey' printed across it, said to them with a big smile. She beamed at Claire and Sophie when she saw them.

"Why hello there, cuties," she said indulgently.

"Hello!" Claire said with a big smile, peering at Stacey's badge. "Stay-see," she read aloud, and the waitress clasped her hands to her sternum.

"Oh my. Aren't you a clever little thing!" she cooed.

"Yep," Claire replied. "I was the first person in my class to write my name."

"She's a treasure," Stacey said to Jacob. "You must be so proud."

"Erm, she's not my kid; we're just babysitting," Jacob corrected, reaching for Bella's hand. Stacey seemed surprised at this.

"I'm sorry, sugar," she said, her eyes flickering over Jacob and Bella's intertwined fingers as though they were a particularly shocking piece of modern art. "She just looks an awful lot like you."

Bella saw Jacob bite the inside of his cheek, a sure sign he was composing himself. He smiled genially. "Yeah, what a coincidence," he replied as Claire giggled.

"We don't look at all alike, silly," she chastised gently. "Uncle Jacob's really tall and his hair is really long." She sighed. "I want my hair to be really long."

Stacey smiled at Claire and patted her head. "Your hair's lovely as it is, sugar."

"Can I have a banana milkshake?" Claire asked suddenly, adding, "Please?" before anybody got a chance to prompt her.

Stacey smiled. "Of course you can, sweetie pie. Would you like chocolate sprinkles?"

"Yes please!" Claire replied enthusiastically.

Stacey smiled. "Sure thing, sweetie. Are the rest of you ready to order?"

Without really looking at the menu, they ordered: coffee for Bella, Mike and Jacob, orange juice for Jessica, who insisted that caffeine wasn't good for the baby. For Bella, seeing such a change in Jessica's attitude, this once selfish and vain girl being so earthy and caring was rather a shock.

"So, when's the baby due?" Bella asked.

"October," Mike said, fumbling in his shirt pocket and pulling out a Polaroid sized picture. "We had a scan last week." He handed Bella the picture; it was that same scan, grainy black and orange.

Bella peered at it, still feeling that stab of jealousy, and she tried to remind herself that it would happen for her and Jacob, just not right now, and that was okay, honest. She smiled and replied, "That's really great."

Jacob looked over her shoulder at it. "Cool. Where's the baby?"

Mike pointed at a large blob on the scan. "Right there."

"Wow," Jacob replied. "A boy, huh? He's going to be an impressive little dude."

"A boy?" Jessica sounded perturbed. "No, it's a girl."

"Really?" Jacob frowned. Bizarrely, realisation appeared to dawn on Mike, and Bella couldn't understand why.

"Oh, no, Jacob," he said, pointing to the scan again. "That's an arm."

"Ah. I see."

"Yeah, I thought that when I first saw it," Mike explained.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Boys," she muttered.

"But we don't actually know the sex of the baby," Mike iterated. "We've kept it a surprise. So it _could_ be a boy."

"It's a girl," Jessica said. "I can feel it."

Soon enough, the waitress returned with their orders, handing out their coffees and drinks with a practised smile.

"Here you go, pumpkin," she said, placing an impressive milkshake in front of Claire, topped with ice-cream and chocolate sprinkles, the scent of fresh bananas mixed with malt wafting from the glass.

"Thank you," Claire replied, happily slurping at the incredibly thick milkshake through a straw.

To her bewilderment, Bella noticed Jacob appeared as though he was going to be sick.

"Are you okay?" she asked, touching his arm. He laughed, though his face showed no amusement.

"It's fine, honey. Just… Wow. Serious sensory memory."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked quietly.

"My mom used to make them just like that," he said. "The smell…"

"Uncle Jacob, what's the matter?" Claire asked suddenly.

He smiled gently. "It's fine, Claire. The milkshake, the smell kind of reminded me of my mom."

Claire frowned and sniffed her glass carefully. "Does she smell of bananas?"

Jacob laughed, although Bella could see tears prick his eyes. "No, but when I was your age, she used to make me milkshakes that smelled like that."

"Why doesn't she make them now?" Claire asked, looking up at Jacob with innocent, querying eyes.

"Because she's up in heaven now," Jacob replied.

"Can't she come back and visit?"

"No. It's kind of a one-way trip."

"Oh." Claire frowned at her milkshake. "When did she go?"

"When I was a little boy."

"How little? Were you bigger than me?"

"A little, yeah."

Claire slurped her milkshake, looking somewhat perturbed. "Will my mommy go to heaven?"

"Not for a very long time, sweetheart."

"How do you know? Did you know your mommy was going to go?"

"No. But for mommies to go to heaven when their kids are little is pretty rare. It doesn't happen very often."

Claire sat still for a moment, staring at her hands as she twisted them in her lap. Suddenly, she glanced up at Jacob.

"You mean she's dead, don't you? Heaven's being dead."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," Jacob replied, and Bella could see this conversation was swiftly becoming very difficult for him.

When Claire patted his hand with hers and said, "That's very sad. But if you ever need a mommy, you can borrow mine. Promise," Bella wasn't actually sure how she managed not to cry on the spot, let alone how Jacob held it together.

Jessica, presumably from a combination of hormones and the unfolding situation, burst into helpless sobs.

The diner door opened, and Bella saw her father wander into the building, speak briefly to the waitress and sit down at the breakfast bar.

"Dad!" Bella called out, and Charlie turned around. Smiling at her, he walked over.

"Hey, Bells. How's the babysitting going?" Charlie asked, standing between Bella and Sophie's high chair. He glanced at Jessica's weeping frame, Mike handing her tissues and holding her hand. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Chief Swan," Jessica managed to stammer out between sobs.

Claire looked across at Jessica, looked up at Charlie, and shrugged.

"We kind of got into a conversation about Jake's mom," Bella offered as an explanation.

Charlie nodded sadly. "She was a lovely woman," he said softly.

"Are you a policeman?" Claire asked.

"Sure he is. This is Bella's dad," Jacob explained.

"Sure am," Charlie added. "Hi there. What's your name?"

"Claire," she said, pushing her glass towards him. "Do you want some milkshake?"

"No thank you, Claire. You drink it all up," he said with a smile. "I'm Charlie."

"Hello, Charlie," she answered before turning to Bella. "Where's your mommy?"

"My mommy's in Jacksonville," Bella explained.

Claire wrinkled her nose. "Is that like heaven?"

"No. It's just further south from here and sunny," Charlie explained. Claire sighed heavily and leant on her hand, surveying Charlie.

"They've been talking about heaven, and I thought it was a place, like the beach. But it means somebody's dead," she explained. "It's all very confusing."

Charlie sighed and patted Claire gently on the head. "It sure is, kiddo," he replied. "It sure is."

He leant towards Bella, not quite putting his arm around her shoulders. "So, you're not thinking of making me a grandpa, are you?" he asked, the fear in his eyes palpable.

Bella and Jacob exchanged glances, unspoken memories of Bella's raging broodiness swimming to the surface.

"No, Dad," Bella replied. "Not yet, anyway."

The wary relief in Jacob's expression was palpable, as though he had won a battle, if not the war. Smiling at him, Bella reached for her coffee cup and took a deep sip.

"Uncle Jacob," Claire asked, swinging her legs a little.

"Hmm?"

"When you went to the doctor today and he checked if you were sick with hair-red-it-tary die-beat-ees?"

"Hmm?"

"Was that because you have a pointy willy?"

Bella nearly dropped her coffee cup, Mike just about choked on his.

"I… My what?"

"Your pointy willy," Claire replied nonchalantly. "I saw it last night, in bed." Bella felt her skin flush, and she stole a quick glance at Charlie, only to see he too looked rather embarrassed. A few customers had turned around, seemingly shocked and appalled by Claire's words.

"Well," Jacob said, clearly stalling for time. "You mean last night when you came into mine and Bella's bedroom?"

"Yeah," Claire replied, and Bella saw a few of the horrified customers looked somewhat relieved.

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and managed a smile. "Well, Claire. The thing is, sometimes guys' willies go that way."

"Why?"

"Because they need to."

"Why?"

"Because… So we can have special hugs with certain girls we love very much," he stammered out. Bella couldn't recall ever seeing him struggle for words before.

Bella also noticed that Jacob steadfastly avoided Charlie's suddenly sharp glare.

"Special hugs?" Bella whispered.

"Hey, you got anything better?" he hissed back.

Claire looked rather affronted. "You never give me a special hug with your pointy willy. Does that mean you don't love me?" she folded her arms and pouted at Jacob.

Charlie appeared to gulp down a shocked giggle, swiftly becoming fascinated with his holster. Bella peered at Jacob through her fingers, currently splayed over her face in horror.

Jacob coughed. "Of course I love you, cupcake. But I love you in a totally different way to Aunt Bella. If I gave you the kind of special hugs I give Aunt Bella, then that would be very wrong," he said, rescuing the situation with such skill that Bella was beginning to have a whole new admiration for him.

"So, Aunt Bella likes your willy when it's all pointy?" Claire asked.

"Umm, yeah," Jacob replied, flashing a deeply apologetic grin in the direction of Charlie. Bella cringed with second-hand embarrassment, praying for the ground to open up and swallow her.

Claire shrugged. "Oh, okay," she said brightly. "I thought maybe your willy was sick with hair-red-it-tree die-beat-ees and that's why Aunt Bella was kissing it better last night."

Jacob's face had frozen in a terrified smile. Everyone in the diner turned around to stare. Mike was laughing so hard that he ended up crying into the upholstery, trying to shield himself from view.

As her cheeks burned with the force of Vesuvius, Bella revised her previous thought. _Now_ she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She wanted it to happen so much, she was quite willing to go and find a shovel to help it along.

Charlie, on the other hand, looked as though he wanted the ground to open up and swallow everyone around him.

"Right." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry, Dad," Bella whispered. "We were just—"

Charlie shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Bells? Never tell me," he said firmly.

Suddenly, Jacob's cell phone began to ring, and he looked deeply relieved as he answered it.

"Hello…? Speaking… Oh, hey, Dan… Yeah, I'm in McGraw's, the car's outside… I'll be right out there." He put the phone down and stood up awkwardly in what little room he had in the booth.

"I've got to pop out, Bells. The Sullivans are here to pick up the car," he explained.

"Sure, Jake," Bella replied, getting up and holding Claire to allow Jacob past.

"Back in a bit," he called, avoiding Charlie's eyes.

"Car?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, Jake's built a couple, and he's selling them on," Bella explained, and Mike's eyes lit up.

"Really? Because we could do with something a little more practical," he said. "Does he take requests?"

Bella listened to Mike rattle off a list of requirements that didn't make much sense to her, just as Claire pointed at the window and said, "Uncle Jacob's with a girl!"

Frowning out of confusing more than anything, Bella looked up and saw, through the window, a slightly gawky teenage girl being led towards Jacob and the newly built Chrysler he was sitting on the hood of. An older, slightly portly man was walking behind her, covering her eyes and looking potentially more excited than the girl.

With a grin, Jacob placed the keys in the girl's hands, just as the man removed his hands from her eyes. She looked down, looked at the car, squealed so loudly Bella heard it through the glass and then leapt onto Jacob, hugging him wildly.

Suddenly, she pulled away, embarrassed and blushing profusely before turning similar affections onto the older man. He grinned, obviously pleased that his present had met with approval.

Jacob was opening doors and the hood, pointing at things that made the older man frown and nod in a manner that suggested he didn't have a clue what Jacob was rattling on about, but wanted to appear as though he did. The girl's expression suggested she had more of an idea, and she looked very pleased indeed when Jacob gestured towards areas of the vehicle.

"Nice," Mike commented airily. "Seriously, Bella, what does he charge?"

"Umm, I don't know," Bella replied, still watching out of the window. The man leant on the hood to try and write out a cheque, but the girl pulled him away and pointed at her back. The man and Jacob exchanged amused expressions, Jacob apparently impressed, before the man leant his cheque book on the girl's back. "He charges less than the second hand garage, I know that much."

"I'll have to have a chat with him," Mike said, just as Jessica squeezed his arm.

"We don't have to, Mike," she said nervously. "Dowlings' can fix up my mom's old estate…"

Bella snorted. "Please, Jessica. Jacob has more mechanical knowledge and talent in his little finger than Dowlings' have. He's been doing this sort of thing since he was about ten." As she said this, she glanced out of the window again. Jacob and the older man appeared to be haggling over the price. Eventually, Jacob seemed to reluctantly accept whatever the man had written out, and Bella saw him smile gratefully.

"Sounds good, Jess," Mike reasoned as Bella saw Jacob wave off the girl as she drove off in his lovingly built car, the man following in his own vehicle. Then, to Bella's surprise, Jacob crossed the road and walked away from the diner.

"Where's Uncle Jacob going?" Claire asked.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Bella replied, before putting her brain into gear. "He's probably just gone to cash his cheque. He'll be back soon?"

"Cash his cheque?" Claire looked at Bella as though she had just spoken in a foreign language.

"The nice man gave him a cheque for his car. You have to go and give it to the bank and they give you money for it."

Claire frowned. "That's silly. Why doesn't the man just give him money?"

"Because he might not want to carry that amount of money around," Bella suggested. Claire seemed satisfied with this or at least distracted by her rumbling stomach.

"I'm hungry," she moaned.

"We'll order food when Uncle Jacob gets back," Bella promised. Claire looked a little grumpy about this but nevertheless started reading the menu aloud.

* * *

After what seemed a lot more time than was generally required to put a cheque in a bank account, Jacob entered the diner again with a grin on his face and a piece of paper in his hand.

"What were you doing in there?" Bella demanded. "I ordered lunch for you, we got fed up of waiting."

Jacob squeezed past Claire and Bella to sit down. "What did you get me?"

"House burger and fries," Bella replied as Mike smirked.

"She nearly got you a salad," he replied.

Jacob gave Bella a disdainful stare. "Come on, Bells. I'm a growing boy. I should only see a salad if it's on the side of another meal."

Bella jabbed him in the arm. "Sure, sure. Anyway, you didn't answer my question. What were you doing?"

At this, Jacob smiled and thrust the piece of paper into Bella's hand. She opened it up and saw it was an application for a joint bank account.

"Erm, Jake? I thought we decided we didn't need one of these?" Bella commented.

Abbie and Frankie had just graduated along with Bella and moved out of the four bedroom house they had all rented, Abbie to New York following some marketing job, Frankie to LA with a portfolio of spec scripts and a pocketful of dreams they all expected him to find shattered but hoped for the best anyway. Tina had already decided to move into Upperclassmen accommodation on campus with some of her and Jacob's classmates, insisting she loved them both but didn't fancy being a spare wheel in the house.

"You won't be," Jacob had said. "We're looking for two other people already."

"Guys? Why don't you just rent the place together?" Tina suggested. "Mrs Compton loves you, perhaps you can get her to lower the rent?"

Turned out Mrs Compton wanted the four bedroom house back at the end of their lease that year so she could move her widowed daughter and two young boys in with her. On the plus side, it left her an empty two bedroom place she was eager to rent out, and when Jacob offered to be caretaker to both properties, she let them stay there rent free. It seemed silly to set up a joint bank account when they could just split the bills between them.

Jacob grinned at Bella. "It's not for our new place."

"You guys are moving in together?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, a little two bed place in Seattle. Just while I do my teacher training and Jake finishes up his final year," Bella replied before Jacob tapped at the paper again, demanding her attention.

"It's a savings account. For us. For our trip," he explained.

"What trip?"

Jacob shrugged. "You want to go to Europe, right?"

"Yeah, but I said it was a pipe-dream, Jake."

"Well, I figured I'd check it out and see if it was," he replied airily. "And if we save up regularly this year, and I can sell a few more of these cars, I reckon we could do it."

Bella stared at Jacob in disbelief. "No, Jake. We can't. Seriously, it's way too expensive."

"Not if we get rail passes and stay in hostels. Or, we could rent a motor home type thing; maybe even buy an old one. It's not like we'd need it to last more than the summer, and you know I could fix the most beaten up piece of cra— of junk," he corrected with a wary glance at Claire, who watched them with interest.

"We can fly to England," he continued, "get one there, go to the places in England you wanted to see, go on the ferry or Eurostar to the rest of Europe and drive everywhere. They've got camping parks all over the place where we could shower and do whatever; we wouldn't even need to get a hostel or hotel rooms." He grinned. "Well, we'd want to sometimes. I was looking on some website at some four star places in Paris, and it's not too bad for a couple of nights." He blushed. "And before we started dating, I kind of had my own little pipe-dream of whisking you off to Paris and seducing you."

Bella sighed. "It's a lovely idea, Jake, but even if we saved up all year, I don't think we'd get enough to—"

"Have you looked at what I opened the account with, woman!" Jacob teased, pointing at the relevant part of the application. Bella's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Jake! Where…? How…? I thought you'd already agreed on a price!" She frowned at him. "And you can't put it all towards this. It's your money."

"Yeah, so I can do what I want with it," Jacob argued. "Anyway, Dan refused to pay what we agreed. Said it was too little." He grinned. "He knows Jack about cars, but his daughter sure knows a lot. Kept going on about what a good job I'd done, and Dan phoned one of his friends up who bought the Ford over the phone." He leant back in the booth. "So, I'd say we can spare the cash from the Chrysler for our summer vacation."

Bella felt Jacob take her hand in both of his. "So, what do you say, Bells?"

She couldn't help it; her stomach was fluttering with excitement. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course. I'm going to apply for a passport, that's how serious I am," he replied, and Bella couldn't help but fling her arms around him, sweeping Claire up with them in the process, who didn't seem to mind.

"Oh my God!" Bella exclaimed breathlessly. "I can't believe we're actually going to do this! Can we go to Italy, too? I've always wanted to go there. And Spain? Barcelona's supposed to have this amazing cathedral. And…?"

Jacob kissed her gently on the lips. "We can go wherever you like, Bells."

"Will you bring me back a present?" Claire asked, tugging at both Bella and Jacob's sleeves.

"Of course, sweetheart," Bella replied before glancing across at Mike and Jessica to share the good news.

She was most surprised to catch the briefest hint of jealousy on Jessica's face.

"Wow, Europe? That's so amazing. Bet you can't wait to finish college now," she said in a tone of voice that was a little too bright. Bella recognised it as the one she used when Jessica had been talking about her impending new arrival, and it suddenly struck her how she wasn't the only person walking around envying the lives of others, and perhaps she should just concentrate on enjoying her own.

With that revelation, her desperate broodiness seemed to melt away into a box in her mind marked, 'For Later'.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Certainty

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary: **Bella gets a surprise on graduation day.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- thejmeyer

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Certainty**

"Bells? Have you seen my tie?"

"It's on the couch, where you left it." Bella was still trying to polish her dress shoes. This would be her second graduation ceremony, and she was almost going through the motions. Jacob, however, was a bag of nerves. Bella could feel his unease just from the noise he was making downstairs.

"Bells? It's the wrong shade."

"It'll be fine, baby. Nobody's even going to notice it under your gown," she called back. Satisfied her shoes wouldn't get much shinier, Bella put them to one side and slipped on her stockings before tucking her blouse into her pencil skirt.

This year had been difficult. Not only did she have reams of coursework and exams, but she had been working part-time in a downtown Seattle Elementary school as a teaching assistant. Practical experience was part of the syllabus. She had been exhausted, angry and spent the six weeks leading up to her exams bursting into tears at the slightest provocation. She nearly moved out one fretful evening, unable to bear how much extra pressure she must have been putting on Jacob as he completed his portfolio, business propositions and own final exams. It took an evening of talking and cuddles to convince her things would be okay.

There was no way she could have coped with a baby as well. Bella was eternally grateful to Claire and Sophie for inadvertently pointing this now obvious fact out to her.

Suddenly, Jacob burst into the room.

"Jake! You're supposed to knock, you know!"

"Sorry, honey. I was just looking for my jacket." He looked more than nervous; in fact, he appeared oddly terrified as he fiddled with his ponytail.

"It's in the closet," she said with an irritated sigh. "Where you left it."

"Right." He hovered for a moment, his hands thrust in his pant pockets. "You… You haven't, you know, been near it have you?"

"Jake! I haven't touched your dumb jacket! Will you calm down!" she demanded.

Jacob grabbed the jacket, feeling the pockets, before draping it over his arm. "Okay, okay. Don't get your panties in a knot," he replied, kissing her cheek as she tried to swat him away.

"I still haven't done my hair," she moaned. "We're going to be late!"

"We're not," Jacob insisted. "Tell you what, you pretty yourself up— that shouldn't take you more than a second because you're so gorgeous— and I'll make breakfast."

"Sounds good. Sure your nerves are up to it?" she teased.

Jacob looked perplexed for a moment. "Nerves?"

"Yeah, you've been jumpier than Mrs Compton when she comes round unannounced," Bella joked.

Jacob grinned sheepishly, clearly sharing the same memory of poor Mrs Compton driving up to the house they rented from her on a whim, just to see if she could check on her roses and drop off some special herbicide to take care of the weeds. What she hadn't expected was to find Bella and Jacob, both butt naked, screwing on the couch. Bella had been mortified, wrapping herself up in the throw she had bought at a flea market. Jacob had been astonishingly casual about the whole affair, and his nakedness, after a host of apologies from all sides.

Bella had never told Jacob what the elderly lady had confided to her over a pot of coffee in the kitchen after they had got dressed, while he cheerfully tended to Mrs Compton's rose bushes.

"You ought to keep hold of that one, Bella. He's good around the house, and he's got the nicest butt."

Bella had nearly choked on her coffee.

"I'm fine, Bells," Jacob insisted.

Bella wasn't convinced. "Really, you'll be up on that stage for like a minute at the most."

"Trust me. I'm not nervous about the graduation ceremony," he said before leaving the room and leaving Bella very puzzled.

She sat at the dresser, trying to find the tidiest way to pin her hair up, but already feeling sad that her final year was over. Not because of the course, she was glad that was over, but because of living together with Jacob as a proper couple. She hoped they would continue the arrangement after graduation, for she was starting to find it difficult to sleep whenever she went home to visit Charlie and Jacob wasn't there at night. It had got to the point where she couldn't imagine not living with him.

She tried not to cry as she pinned her hair back in a chignon. This place was beginning to feel like home, and they'd have to leave in a few weeks.

* * *

"Come on, kids!" Charlie ushered Jacob and Bella towards the prominent fountain in the grounds of Washington University, Billy in hot pursuit. Charlie wore his hair ridiculously neatly and had a suit that Bella was sure only got aired for funerals and her graduations. Billy also dressed smartly for the occasion, although he refused point blank to wear a tie; his hair was styled the same way as Jacob's. They all seemed more excited than Bella was, but then, this would be her second set of graduation portraits. The last set, she had been the only one in a graduation cap and gown. This year, she had a light blue hood on top of her gown. Jacob's graduation attire was almost identical to her bachelor garb, save for the royal blue tassel and the honour cords. And his cap.

In keeping with the tradition, both Bella and Jacob had decorated their caps. Last year, Jacob had helped Bella construct a papier mache sculpture of reading books- 'Jane Eyre' and 'Pride and Prejudice' had featured, Bella remembered discounting 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Romeo and Juliet' as being too melodramatic. This year, Bella had chosen a papier mache sculpture of a large clock tower bell surrounded by tiny bells pinned to the mortar which jingled as she moved, a not-so-oblique reference to her nickname.

Charlie sat her down on the edge of the fountain, while Billy did the same with Jacob, placing his ponytail over his shoulder so it could be seen in the photograph.

"Dad, relax. I look gorgeous," Jacob teased, resulting in a playful cuff from Billy. He then flicked one of the bells on Bella's cap.

"Many cat collars died in the making of your cap," he commented. "But I'd say it was worth it."

Bella looked up at Jacob's cap where a stylised wolf sat, a vision in wire and taut fabric. Of course, his looked as though the world's greatest artists had collaborated to produce it. Bella knew for a fact he had made a tidy sum offering his skills to other artistically challenged students.

"Many tribe myths helped build yours," Bella replied smoothly, petting the proud looking wolf.

Jacob looked at her in mock outrage. "Myths? What makes you think the transformer and the wolf-man aren't documented fact?"

"Jake, if you were a werewolf, I think I'd have noticed," she commented.

"I used to be a werewolf," he dead-panned. "But I'm alright now-_wooh!_" He howled loudly up into the sky.

"That's terrible!" Bella shrieked with laughter, despite herself.

"Will you two behave for the nice photographer!" Billy ordered, while the photographer glared and his assistant looked entertained.

They dutifully posed as photos were taken of the two of them as a couple, as a family with Charlie and Billy joining them, then separately, with their respective parents.

"It's a shame your mom couldn't make it," Jacob said, a tone of disapproval in his voice. Renee had attended Bella's first graduation and wept buckets when she went up on stage, but this year Phil had a crucial game in California that coincided. Bella understood Renee's reasons, but she knew, although he had never voiced it, that Jacob thought choosing her husband over her daughter was a terrible thing to do.

"Yeah, but she was at the first one," Bella pointed out. "I think the only reason I've bothered to turn up second time around is for you, baby."

"Well, I guess I should feel privileged, huh," he said, kissing her as they walked towards the Husky stadium.

Suddenly, Bella heard a high-pitched squeal of excitement. Whirling around, she saw Tina rushing towards them, resplendent in her cap decorated with a floral theme, her long blonde extensions coiffured to within an inch of their life.

"Hey guys," she said, flashing a knowing smile. She and Jacob exchanged a curious set of non-verbal cues, but before Bella could ask about their silent communication, Tina was already bombarding her with questions.

"What's it like? I'm so nervous, having to stand in front of all those people. Do we have to say anything? How long are we up there for?" She was a bundle of anxious energy.

"It's nothing to worry about," Bella soothed. "It's nerve-wracking at first, but it's over so quickly, you barely even register it's happened."

"Sounds a lot like the time I gave up my v-card," Tina joked.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Charlie joked, causing Tina to blush as he and Billy moved over to them.

"We'd better go and take our seats," Charlie said. "I think you guys have to, too."

"Yeah," Bella agreed. "I'm in a different block to Jake and Tina, so I'd better hurry."

"Good luck, kids," Billy said, flashing a smile before squeezing Jacob's hand.

"Yeah, good luck, Jake," Tina said, tucking her arm around his and bewildering Bella.

What was going on?

* * *

Sitting in her seat as the president gave his usual speech about the future, Bella was a little bored. She glanced across the crowd and although she couldn't pick out Jacob from the vast distance, she could pick out the royal blue of the business school graduates. The girl next to her with a cuddly toy penguin sewed to her cap, who Bella knew vaguely, stifled a yawn. It was easy to tell who had been here before and who was graduating for the first time. The swathes of excitable School of Education students surrounding the pockets of post graduates completing their year-long teaching qualifications was noticeable within the immediate vicinity.

Bella checked her watch a few times, occasionally catching the eye of the girl wearing the penguin and smiling in sympathy. They were announcing the names of all the Doctorate graduates, who each walked up in their purple and black gowns, smiling obsequiously and shaking hands with the president of the university.

By the time Bella's block was ushered towards the stage, she had read the order of services at least a dozen times. Despite having done this before, Bella still felt inexplicably nervous when she had to walk across the stage and shake hands with various senior faculty members. There was, of course, every chance she would trip and stumble over her own feet, especially given that she managed to avoid such a thing first time around. She was almost taunting fate now.

The only time she had felt more nervous than these moments of graduation, was whenever she attended a powwow with Jacob, and had to dance. Bella was not the most graceful of dancers at the best of times, but fancy dancing threw her a loop bigger than a Formula One track.

"_Come on, Bells. If I can get up there, so can you."_

"_Yeah, but you're good at this sort of thing…"_

Jacob had laughed heartily. _"I'm useless, honey. Sure, I can shake it at college party, but I can't fancy dance for shit. If you want tips, watch Embry…"_

Taking a deep breath, Bella followed the cue for her to walk onto the stage, concentrating on not falling over. She heard loud cheering and whooping from a couple of random pockets of the stadium and knew they had to belong to Jacob, Charlie and Billy.

"Well done, congratulations," the president said in the slightly bored tone that suggested to Bella he found the whole gruelling session as tedious as she did. Bella smiled and took her ceremonial diploma in the knowledge that her real one would be mailed to her in a few months but managed to stumble on her way down the steps.

"It's okay," Penguin-capped girl whispered to her as they walked back to their seats. "I don't think anyone noticed."

The remainder of the three hour ceremony was tedious to Bella, lifting only when she cheered loudly for Jacob as he received his honours and received curious looks from those students who didn't know her. Those who did smiled indulgently. She recognised Tina, and clapped enthusiastically for her, as well as some of the other business school graduates who had attended their house parties or study sessions with Jacob. She clapped loudly for a couple of the students she recognised as ones she had mentored through the student counselling training and some she had counselled.

To pass the rest of the time, Bella tried to spot other students Jacob might know, given all the ones she had made friends within the years of her first degree had left. There were the basketball players, of course, who were raucous but nice. There were some fellow Native Americans from other tribes she had met during Jacob's time at the Native American Society, which he had swiftly branded, _"A bunch of kids with nothing in common except the fact we've all worked powwows."_ It hadn't stopped him from setting up a skills exchange programme where they taught their own tribe-specific skills to each other. In fact it went towards his portfolio project. There were some students who were mutual friends who they met when they both signed up for an aromatherapy course, one where they had to censor most of their practise sessions.

Suddenly, Bella started to wonder whether she should have ordered one of those t-shirts with the names of all the graduates emblazoned on the back in near-microscopic writing.

The event slowly came to an end, and Bella met up with Charlie and Billy who had staked out a patch of the lawn outside.

"Here she comes, the teacher," Charlie said, grinning from ear to ear. "Congratulations, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Hey, maybe you can teach me how to open this bottle, huh?" Billy suggested, holding a bottle of mid-priced champagne. Bella smiled politely but grinned when she saw him pull a non-alcoholic version out of the cooler. Jacob had remained steadfast in his teetotalism, and after her horrific first frat party experience, Bella had joined him.

Within moments, Jacob barrelled into the group to the cheers of his former classmates.

"Got anything to eat in there?" he queried while gesturing towards the cooler, then kissing Bella on the cheek as Billy and Charlie laughed.

"First Black— no, first _Quileute_— to get an _honours_ degree, and he just asks if there's grub?" Billy patted Jacob on the back. "Well done, son," he whispered.

"Come on, Dad. I'm not the first—"

"You're the first direct descendant to get an honours degree. Leah and Sam only made distinctions," he insisted, fatherly pride rather than disdain showing through in his attitude to Leah and Sam's impressive achievements.

"Just stop whining and lap up the adoration, Jake," Bella said, to the amusement of Charlie and Billy.

As they sat on the grass, sipping their drinks out of plastic cups and waving to Tina and her family, Bella noticed Tina glance meaningfully at Jacob and tap her watch.

He instantly tensed as she crossed her fingers and beamed.

"Jake, what's the matter?" Bella asked gently.

Jacob smiled uneasily. "Nothing… Look, Bella."

"At what?"

"The sky."

Bella looked across at the slowly purpling sky, the beginnings of a sunset. "It's beautiful," she agreed.

"No, Bella. Look up."

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" she demanded, seeing nothing but the skyline of Seattle and the reddening sun in her peripheral vision.

"Bella!" Jacob grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Jacob, what's gotten into you?"

He gently grabbed her chin and tilted her face to the sky, his hand pointing above her as though he were directing a basketball shot. "Just… Watch the plane!" he insisted, and Bella was aware of his nervousness returning.

"Jake, what's up?" she asked as she spotted the small bi-plane circling overhead.

"You've been jittery all—"

It was about that moment she realised the bi-plane was producing sky writing.

"Guy on the society owed me a favour," Jacob explained as the letters formed in white cloud against the sky.

_Marry me Bells._

Bella whipped around to check this wasn't some kind of crazy joke, only to find Jacob on one knee, holding her hand in his. The other hand he was using to fiddle in his jacket pocket through his graduation gown.

"I love you, Bells. You're the only girl for me. So, what do you say?" he announced, holding the ring out for her to inspect. It was modest but beautiful, and Bella suspected it had belonged to his mother.

She soon realised she was standing, speechless and gaping mouthed, while everyone in the vicinity had turned to stare at them, awaiting her response. She felt that familiar blush creep over her cheeks, and saying nothing, she took the ring from Jacob's hand and placed it on the fourth finger of her left hand.

Jacob looked up at her, smiling, but still hesitant. She knew why.

Kneeling down in front of him, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "Yes," she said simply as she pulled away.

His smiled broadened and he swept her up in his arms, pulling them both to their feet and twirling her in the air. "You won't regret this, honey," he whispered into her hair as the gathered crowd cheered.

Tina rushed up to them both, squealing. Bella could see her parents watching. Brian looked rather shocked; Francine was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed. "I knew she'd say yes, Jake!"

A couple of Jacob's basketball buddies clapped him on the back.

"You're crazy, man, but congrats," Jerome offered, shaking his head as though in mourning.

Bella looked across at Charlie, and his jaw had slackened as though he were a snake about to dislocate it to swallow a rat.

"Did… Did that just happen?" he ventured to nobody in particular. Billy glanced at him, raising his eyebrow quizzically before wheeling over to Jacob and Bella, Charlie eventually following.

"Did you ask Charlie for permission to marry his daughter, Jake?" Billy queried with a cheeky smile as Charlie looked at him, frowning.

Jacob laughed. "Of course I didn't," he replied airily. To Bella's surprise, Charlie merely chuckled.

"Come on, Bells, it's the twenty first century. What kind of a jerk asks for _my_ permission?" he commented upon noticing her furrowed brow.

"Well, even if you don't want to protect my virtue, I guess it's nice you trust my judgement," Bella teased.

"Exactly. If Jake had asked permission, I'd have set the poor boy tasks." He eyeballed them both. "What happened to backpacking across Europe, kids?"

Jacob shrugged. "We can still do that, right? I wasn't thinking of getting hitched next week or anything." He looked to Bella for support.

"Yeah, we should wait until we can afford to do it right," she agreed. "Anyway, that trip to Europe has been the only thing keeping me going through this year."

Jacob held his hand to his heart in mock anguish. "What about me, honey?"

"Sure, sure. And you, Jake," she added, kissing him lazily.

* * *

That evening, Bella was slipping on her glittery little black dress— a birthday present from Abbie who insisted she would get a little bit of glamour into her closet, by hook or by crook— when there was a knock at her bedroom door.

"Come in," she said, zipping up the dress. She was surprised to find her father hovering at the door.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Bells," he said, looking a little awkward as he sat on her bed. She brushed her hair as he spoke.

"Jake's getting the old 'Father to Son' talk downstairs. He probably can't wait for you to get ready so he can escape," Charlie commented, with a gentle laugh.

"Are you sure you guys are going to be okay just hanging round here?" Bella asked.

The party to end all parties had been planned since March by the Fraternity and Sorority houses: a debauched keg party in one of the grandest mansions they could hire out in the area. A post-graduation party such as this was held every year and was spoken about in awed tones by the Freshmen and Underclassmen. Bella had gone last year with Abbie, Frankie and some of her other college friends and found it a little dull, mainly because they were all trashed within three hours. With Jacob, she knew she would at least have one sober companion.

Charlie shrugged. "Bella, we've got a case of beers and the Nicks game on your cable. We'll be just fine," he assured her. "You kids go out and blow off some steam. You deserve it."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Are you sure about this?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah; I mean, I went to this party last year, but everyone was drunk, so it was kind of boring but Jake doesn't drink either so—"

"I don't mean the party, Bells." Charlie's expression was serious.

Bella sat down next to him. "Dad, we aren't rushing into this," she assured him. "Trust me, there are times we could have really rushed things. Jake's patient—"

"Proposing at twenty-one? That's not all that patient." He sighed. "Look, Jake's a great guy, and I'm really happy for you both. I'm just a little… Concerned," he decided on.

Bella took his hand. "There's no need. This is what I want," she said. "When I'm with Jake, I feel… I feel I can do anything."

"Bells, your mom and I were married and had you by the time we were twenty-one."

"I know, Dad; but we're not getting married, not right away," Bella soothed. "We're just making a commitment to each other that in the next few years, we will. And I know he's the one, Dad. Not just because of some fluttery feeling or some divine intervention." She smiled. "I know because we've lived together for two years, one just the two of us, and we work well together. Good times and bad."

Charlie squeezed her hand. "I believe you, Bells. I just… I don't want you to feel you have to do it all now." He laughed, although from the nose up his expression was curiously dour. "I'm not ready to be a grandpa just yet, and I'm worried if Jake gets his way—"

"Dad, if Jake hadn't got his way I'd probably have a baby by now," she confessed. It was difficult to watch her father nearly choke on his own air supply, but not nearly as difficult as it was explaining her fear and confusion at Kelly's death, the time she spent aching to be heavy with Jacob's child; but it got her what she wanted. Charlie's relief at Jacob's insistence against having a family so young seemed to be all he needed.

His arm slipped gingerly around her shoulders. "Well, congratulations, Bells," he said with a broad smile. "Now, you kids go off and have fun."

Bella put her high heels on, tucking a pair of ballet pumps into her large purse. Charlie stood to his feet and hovered by the door while she checked her make-up and slicked on a little more lip-gloss.

The doorbell rang out.

"That'll be the cab," Bella said.

"I'll get it!" Jacob called from downstairs. Bella looked at her father, only to see him grinning from ear to ear.

"Dad, what's…?"

"Holy shit, Bells!" Jacob's voice carried through every space in the house.

"Let's just say your old man and Jake's old man got you a little graduation present."

* * *

The stretch limo was amazing, shiny black with windows you couldn't see into. Bella couldn't stop giggling.

"Whoa, this is rad," Jacob breathed, examining the hood. The chauffer seemed pleased at Jacob's interest, especially when he rattled on about horse power and suspension and other things that didn't particularly interest Bella but she quite liked to watch Jacob work with.

"Thanks, Dad, Billy," she said.

"No problem," Billy said with a smile. "Just don't come home too early— we paid for a night's hire, so get us our money's worth. Deal?"

"Deal," Bella laughed, reaching for the car door but finding the chauffer's hand on the door handle before she could touch it.

"Ma'am," he offered, holding the door open.

Inside was huge. The great leather seats that stretched all the way around the back and sides of the space looked enticingly comfortable, and a mounted cooler sat in the car door in which lay a bottle of champagne— which they would never drink— and a box of luxury chocolates— which they would definitely eat.

"We also have coffee, soda and water," the chauffer explained, pointing at various ergonomic compartments. "These buttons here allow you to control the music and air conditioning, and this button here controls the partition."

"Partition?" Bella queried.

"The glass between the driver's section and yours," he explained, pointing to a further button. "This one will give you some, ahem, privacy." His tone was dry, his expression was not.

Bella liked the sound of this, especially when she got a chance to see Jacob in his black jeans with his shirt sleeves rolled up, blazer jacket slung over his shoulder, as he leant over the car inspecting the chrome work, providing the sort of rear view that Mrs Compton obviously enjoyed whenever she was around.

"Nice, huh?" she purred, leaning against the door of the limousine.

Jacob looked up and raked his eyes over her body. "Very nice," he replied, and Bella wasn't entirely sure whether he was referring to her or the car. She settled on both.

"Have fun, kids," Billy called from the porch, winking at Jacob in a way that made him blush.

"Dad, cut it out," he moaned.

Charlie looked at them, suddenly a little nervous. "Yeah, don't have too much fun," he suggested before they went into the house and shut the door.

"So, where to, ma'am?" the chauffer asked, dryly.

Bella smiled cheekily at him. "Boulevard Place, Mercer Island," she said. "How long will it take to get there?"

"About twenty minutes at this time of day," he said.

"Can you make it take around forty five?" she asked.

The chauffer gave her a quizzical look but merely replied, "Sure."

"Wow! Hey, is this a…? Oh, forget it, I can see she's a reproduction model," Jacob muttered aloud, peering at the bodywork.

"Yeah. It's a pity. Those old 68's ran like a dream…"

While the chauffer talked shop with Jacob, Bella took the opportunity to get into the back and switch the partition buttons so the back seat was completely blocked off from view of the cab, as was any sound. Giggling to herself, partly with excitement, partly with nerves, she unzipped her dress and slipped out of it, revealing her new lingerie set. Hanging the dress up on one of the provided clothes hangers, she caught her reflection in the shine of the blacked-out windows, saw the dark red silk and lace of her bra and short panties— there was no way Bella Swan was going to wear a g-string for anyone— her suspender belt and sheer black stockings, the red high heels. Inadvertently, she contrasted nicely with the black leather upholstery.

She laid back against the seat, trying her best to look alluring and praying the chauffer wasn't about to open the door, fingering the black and silver necklace which nestled neatly along her cleavage. Suddenly, she realised she didn't own a single piece jewellery that Jacob hadn't made for her.

The door opened, and Jacob clambered into the seat, almost stopping dead at the sight of her.

"Hey there," he breathed, shutting the door and sitting on the leather seat without taking his eyes off her.

"Hey there yourself," she said, twirling the necklace around her index finger.

He scooted along the seat closer to her. "What happened to your dress?"

"It refused to stay on when it knew I was going to be alone with you on the back seat of this limo," she purred, just as she felt the vibrations of the engine as the car started up and pulled away.

Jacob nodded appreciatively. "It's a very smart dress. And you are one sexy, sexy lady," he murmured into her ear.

She quickly slapped his hand away when he tried to touch her. "Jacob Black, I'm calling the shots tonight," she ordered.

Jacob raised his hands in surrender. "I like the sound of this…"

She straddled him, her hands teasing through his hair. "I am going to fuck you senseless, husband-to-be," she promised, her lips pressing against his cheek and trailing a meandering path to his ear. Jacob's hands moved to caress her, but she grabbed them and pinned them to the back of the seat.

"But not yet," she teased. "Not until tonight is over."

"Oh, really?" Jacob's voice was deep and husky.

She smiled seductively. "Yes, really. I am going to tease you so much, you'll be on your hands and knees begging for my…"

A loud, audible cough could be heard, but Bella was in full swing. "My amazing pussy," she finished with a small giggle.

"I'll beg now," Jacob offered.

Bella tapped his nose with her finger, ignoring the coughing sound. "Now, now. That's not playing the game, is it?" she admonished. "We're going to go to this party, and you're going to be thinking about what a brazen, wicked slut I'm going to be for you on the journey back…"

"You need to press the button on the right to mute the sound I can hear in the cab," the rather flustered voice of the chauffer hastily called out.

Bella blushed to the roots of her hair as Jacob struggled to keep a straight face. "Thanks," she said in a small voice, just before pressing the appropriate button.

"Did that work?" she called out and received no reply. They both burst out laughing.

"Oh my God, that was so embarrassing," Bella cringed.

Jacob held her in his lap. "Honey, I think he's got to be the most envious man in all of Seattle, knowing what I've got to look forward to back here," he insisted, before kissing her neck with deliberately languid motions. Sighing happily, she arched her back, pulling her whole body closer to his, her hands pressing against his chest. She tilted her head forward to capture his lips in hers, and they kissed each other carefully, his warm hands caressing her bare skin but avoiding her more intimate areas.

"This is nice," Bella whispered between tenderly probing kisses, her hands unbuttoning his shirt a little so she could feel the skin of his chest and shoulders. Jacob offered an unintelligible mumble of approval, just as the limousine swung a left and launched them along the seat.

"This is crazy." Bella giggled.

Jacob idly stroked her long flowing hair. "Yeah. It's like the teen movie our life never was," he joked, leaning her against the leather upholstery.

"Hey, we've got the Rabbit," she insisted breathlessly as Jacob trailed a few kisses along her clavicle and breastbone. "She always provided a level of intimacy I think the limo lacks…" The sentence Bella had in her head came out a lot less well-formed when Jacob's lips found her stomach, and her hands wound into his hair.

"True," he said against her skin, making her giggle. "You might be my wife in a few years time, but she's always going to be my mistress…"

"Yeah. I've come to accept that," Bella said with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Bells. You don't forget your First," he joked.

"You realise that's the only threesome I'm going to allow in our marriage, Mr Black," she pointed out.

"What about in twenty years time when we're going through the motions and want to spice things up with a key party?" he queried sardonically, his fingertips exploring up and down her leg.

"Oh, you think you're going to get bored of this?" Bella demanded theatrically, quickly gliding her hand that was nestling against his stomach down over his crotch.

"No way, honey," he gasped.

She withdrew her touch quickly. "I should think not. I have to be better than the Rabbit…"

Jacob frowned. "You do know I'm attached to her because she's the first car I ever built, right? I'm not suggesting I've tried to have sex with her."

"Sometimes I wonder," Bella teased. "The way you stroke bits of her…"

She squealed as to tickle her in retribution, writhing and panting. He propped himself up on his arms and watched her.

"What?" she gasped, noticing his detached interest.

Jacob shrugged. "I like watching you," he said. "You're so…" He laughed. "I can't believe Mike ever thought you were frigid."

Bella pulled herself up on her knees. "You're the only guy who's ever unlocked this side of me," she purred. "And seeing as you like it so much, maybe on the way back, if you're a very good boy…"

"Hmm?" he encouraged, leaning forward and kissing her on the lips.

She pulled away. "Maybe I'll put on a bit of a show for you?" she teased, grinning as he pulled her swiftly into his arms.

"Wow," he said, exuding genuine joy. "I thought maybe it was just me."

"Huh?"

"I mean… I can't imagine being like this, how I am with you, with anyone else," Jacob confessed.

"Really? And here I was thinking you were the lust-fuelled beast I had barely managed to tame?" Bella teased.

Jacob took her hand and kissed her fingertips. "Seriously, Bells. Sure, I've been interested in girls in this kind of way, but… I don't know. It always kind of scared me before you. Even when we first made love, I felt kind of fearless. Don't get me wrong, I was terrified I'd mess it up, but it wasn't anywhere near as scary as I thought it should have been."

Bella was surprised by this revelation, and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Same," she admitted. "I remember being freaked out that I wasn't freaked out enough…"

His thumb skirted her lips. "Love you," he said simply.

She kissed him deeply. "Love you more," she replied as she pulled away. His fingers delicately ran along her arm, stopping at a small bruise above her elbow. He kissed it.

"Are you sure that's worth it?" he asked, his expression serious. "I mean, I know it's cheaper than rubbers, but…"

"It's less hassle than the pill," she declared. "And trust me, it doesn't hurt. It took, like, three minutes under local anaesthetic?" She smiled and stroked his face. "But you're sweet for asking."

The time passed in a jumble of kissing and confident touches, the kind of slow exploration that almost always ended up going further, until a voice crackled through the speaker system.

"Five minutes until our destination, guys," the chauffer stated in a sly voice that made it clear he knew whatever they were up to in the back of his limousine, they would need time to tidy themselves up.

"Glad he warned us," Jacob said, grabbing the Champagne bottle.

"Are you seriously going to break your vow?" Bella scolded.

Jacob shook his head. "I'm not about to drink it, honey," he insisted, unzipping his pants and shoving the bottle between them and his boxer briefs.

Bella rolled her eyes. "How did you cope when we were first dating, huh?" she demanded. "We did this kind of thing all the time and never had sex…"

"Bells, honey, I coped by making the bathroom my second home." Her expression must have been blank, for he continued, "If I wasn't jerking off in there, I was stood under a shower so cold it should've frozen it off!"

Bella shook her head and laughed, slipping her dress on as she did so. Wordlessly, Jacob zipped it up for her as she tucked her hair out of the way. He kissed the nape of her neck so delicately if felt like a whisper.

"Are you seriously going to tell me you never needed to, ah, relieve the tension?" he queried shrewdly.

Bella felt herself flush a little. "Wouldn't you like to know," she replied coyly.

"Not only would I like to know, honey, but I'd like to watch you do it," he insisted, pulling the bottle of Champagne out from his pants and dropping it back in the cooler.

"You know, somebody's going to be given that, and you've rubbed your dick all over it," Bella chided as Jacob zipped himself up and buckled his belt.

Jacob merely shrugged. "My underpants, Bells, my underpants," he corrected. "Anyway, unless they're going to lick the bottle, there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"And this is the man I'm going to marry," Bella said with an exaggerated sigh as the limo slowed down to a stop.

* * *

Walking around the ornate gardens of this palatial mansion, the view of lake framed by the private docks, Bella decided that the organisers had outdone themselves. It seemed almost a shame to put thousands of excited and drunk students prone to causing a lot of debauched damage near the venue. The music from the foam party rang in her ears as she neared the area, people bustling past her with plastic cups full of beer whooping just because they had seen a different face, a fellow graduate.

"Ooh, Bella! Show us, show us!" Tiffany begged. She was one of the students on Bella's teaching course, and along with Jenny, Sophie and Maggie, they were dying to see her engagement ring. Blushing, she offered her left hand for inspection.

"It's beautiful." Jenny sighed.

"Yeah, it's not too showy, but it's nice," Sophie added. Maggie examined Bella's hand carefully.

"It belonged to his mom," Bella explained, knowing her initial assumption to be true after asking Jacob shortly before they went to spend time with their respective groups of friends.

"So, I take it his mom's…" Sophie trailed off.

Bella nodded. "When he was five. He didn't know whether he should use it, figured it might be bad luck." She smiled. "But he spoke to his dad about cycles of life, and you know, the rest is history."

Sophie looked a little confused.

Maggie nudged her. "Her boy— fiancé," she corrected, "is Native American."

Sophie nodded in understanding. "Is that what that's about?" she asked, pointing at Bella's promise bracelet. "I always wondered…"

"Yeah, he made it for me when we were both still in high school," she said. "It's kind of like a promise ring."

"Wow, I can't imagine meeting the guy I'm going to marry at high school," Tiffany said.

"Well, I didn't technically meet him at high school but yeah. I didn't expect it either," Bella admitted.

"So, have you set a date?" Maggie asked.

Bella shook her head. "Not yet, we're in no hurry," she insisted. "We want to get a place together first, set ourselves up. I need to get a teaching post, and Jake's trying to arrange a loan for his business, so we've got a lot to do first. Besides, we're spending six months in Europe before all of that…"

"Wow!" Tiffany exclaimed.

Bella couldn't help but beam. "I know, it's so exciting. We've got our visas and tickets; we fly out next month. We start off in London, I've already got a part-time job in a summer prep school sorted out there. We're going to travel around, haven't decided where exactly, but I want to visit Stratford-Upon-Avon, I think it is. You know, where Shakespeare was born? They put on productions that are famous across the country, so I'm hoping to drag Jake to one… Then we're off to Belgium, where we're going to pick up one of those campervans and drive across Germany, Austria and Croatia, just stopping wherever we fancy, get jobs if we need to— Jake's probably going to try and sell some of his craft stuff, too. Then we go to Italy, see Pompeii and Rome, maybe stop at one of the coastal resorts. Then Spain, Barcelona specifically, then up through France into Paris, that's our expensive getaway moment. Jake's sort of kept it a surprise, but I know he's got us a proper hotel booked and everything. Then we take the Eurostar back up to London and fly back to Forks," she explained. "We'll miss Thanksgiving— not that Jake and his dad exactly celebrate it like we do— but we'll be back in time for Christmas."

"That sounds so cool…"

"Oh my God, I'm so jealous!"

"Yeah, I've always wanted to go to Italy," Maggie enthused. "I've got this guide book, and they say there's this little village out there where they believe vampires actually existed."

"Seriously?" Tiffany sounded amused.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. I can't remember the name of it. Volturri, Volturra?"

"Volterra, I think," Bella suggested. "I read about it, too. They have this festival every year celebrating the day they drove them out, apparently. It sounds really cheesy."

"You should totally go. It'd be hilarious."

Bella shrugged. "Maybe. There's so many other places we want to go first. If we've got some spare time, though, we might go along for the laughs."

Suddenly, a loud and aggressive chant of "Foam! Foam! Foam! Foam!" could be heard in the distance, growing louder and louder.

Tiffany visible stiffened. "Oh great, it's the jocks," she moaned.

Bella turned around, and sure enough, she could see a few of the basketball players on the team with Jacob, along with some other large, loud boys she didn't recognise.

She also noticed Jacob and Tina.

"Come on guys," Tina whooped. "Get on board the Foam Train!"

"Yeah, and you're not at all wasted," Jacob joked, winking at Bella.

Tina stopped her dance and pouted at Jacob. "Jacob Black, I am not drunk!" she insisted. "I have had one shot! Well, maybe two… Well, maybe seven… Anyway, I am perfectly sober." As if to further demonstrate this blatant lie, Tina nearly toppled, face first, over her own high heels. Jacob caught her effortlessly and set her back on her feet.

"I'll pass, thanks," Tiffany said, smoothing down her expensive looking dress.

"Me too," Maggie added.

Bella looked at the eager group, shrugged and kicked off her heels. "I'm in," she said, joining the thongs of dancers making their way to the large dance area where giant cannons spewed masses of white foam over the enthusiastic dancers.

"Oh, wow. This is not at all phallic," Bella whispered to Jacob, who laughed.

"I guess I'd better be on my best behaviour after dragging you off to get dripping wet by having sticky white stuff shot all over you…"

"Jake!" Bella swatted his arm as he smirked.

"Well?"

"Don't be _too_ well behaved, will you?" Bella requested, batting her eyelashes. Jacob responded by grabbing her around the waist and hoisting her in with the other dancers, foam bubbles dropping onto them within seconds.

"You know exactly how well I behave around you," he murmured into her ear, his hands gripping her hips and pressing her butt against him as they gyrated together.

* * *

Much later that evening, Bella and Jacob lay on the grass together, hand in hand, looking up at the night sky. Their clothes stuck to their skin, their hair was drenched, her make-up wiped clean away, but they couldn't stop grinning.

"Christ, everyone is so wasted," Jacob said, smirking.

"Actually, they've lasted longer than my last graduation group did," Bella conceded. "But still, time to get away, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Jacob laughed. "But any good party ends with me being alone with you…"

"I can't believe you fell in the pool."

"Hey, I was pushed," Jacob protested before chuckling. "I can't believe you jumped in after me."

"I didn't exactly jump in after you. More, sort of, got dragged in when I tried to push Drew into the pool."

"You managed to push Drew in? He's, like, a foot taller than you!"

"Hey, he pushed you in. I was defending your honour."

"My hero," Jacob said. "Now, give me a kiss."

Bella turned her head to one side, facing him, and leant forward to plant a small kiss on his lips. They smiled against each other before looking back up at the sky, their heads touching.

"Is that Orion's Belt?" Bella asked.

"Where?"

"That one. The one that looks like a belt."

"I can't see… Oh, the three stars? Yeah, it is. So I guess that's the Plough?"

"I guess."

"And that must be the Great Dane."

"Now you're just making them up."

"Oh, wow! Look, Bells, a comet… Oh, wait. It's a plane."

"Idiot," Bella teased, laughing.

"You can't really see the stars that well here, huh?"

"No. There's too much light from the city, even out here."

"When we get back to Forks, to the rez, we should spend a night on the beach. Watch the stars properly."

"Sounds good," Bella replied as Jacob rolled over to face her, propping himself up on his arm.

"Are you sure you want to go back? You seem to like it here."

"I do," Bella conceded. "But I like Forks, too. And La Push." She shrugged. "I don't really feel like I've put roots anywhere. I guess it's all that travelling around with Mom, nowhere ever really felt like home…"

"I don't want to make you live in La Push," Jacob said, his voice serious. "I know I talk about wanting to go back there, try and make a difference, give the kids there something to aim for. But I don't want to do it if it makes you unhappy."

"It won't, Jake," she replied. "I get what you want to do. After all that time as a counsellor, I really understand. Sure, there's a world of difference between counselling some kids who are freaked out about living away from home and trying to counsel someone who's worried their dad's going to start drinking again, but I felt I made a difference. I mattered somehow, in this crazy world. When I helped that girl who self-harmed to get proper help, and she sent me that letter with her GPA for the year…"

"You framed it and hung it up in our bedroom," Jacob said proudly. Bella felt him squeeze her hand gently.

"I want to help you help," she said. "And I don't care where we do that."

Jacob shook his head, smiling shyly. "You make me sound like some sort of messiah," he joked.

"Don't be silly," Bella chided. "But seriously, you… I don't know how, or what it is you do, but you make people want to be better. You're like, I don't know, some kind of sun that warms all the closed-up flowers in the soil and makes them bloom…"

"Wow, Bells. You seriously need to do all of my PR."

"Think about it, Jake. Think how many kids on the rez started taking the idea of college seriously after you went, started applying for scholarships? Where do you think they got the… the inspiration to do that?" Bella stroked Jacob's palm with her thumb. He was silent expect for his calm, deep breathing.

"Think about Paul," Bella added. "You put him on the right track."

"Come on, Bells. You had just as much to do with that as I did. You're the one who suggested he stayed with us until he was able to sort out a job alongside community college."

Paul was living in Seattle at the moment, enrolled in the local community college. La Push was too much for him, all those memories of Kelly. Bella wondered if he'd ever return.

"And I'm really happy he's putting his life back together, but that was his choice," Jacob insisted. "I'm just me, doing my thing. I don't make people better…"

"You make me want to be a better person," she said simply. "Don't sell yourself short."

Jacob didn't reply, but Bella felt his grip on her hand tighten, his lips finding her temple, and the warmth spreading into her hairline.

"Right back at you, honey," he whispered eventually.

When Paul had been living with them, Bella almost felt guilty for every moment together they shared, hoping for his own sake that he'd be able to move on.

Two years of investigations, and nobody had been charged with Kelly's murder. At least a cause of death had been established. From three autopsies and several theoretical reconstructions, it appeared Kelly had been the victim of a 'hit and run', the driver so terrified, they dragged and dumped the body. At least it was probably quick.

Bella shuddered at the thought.

Jacob sat up, his warm hands on her arms. "Come on," he said. "You're freezing. There's no way the weather's warm enough to get us dry like this."

Reluctantly, Bella sat up, and they pulled each other to their feet. She saw goose bumps on her skin and realised just how cold she was.

"There must be a bathroom or laundry room around here somewhere," he muttered to himself, wrapping his arms around her as the walked around the outside of the house.

After a short wander, which took them past at least two kitchens, some reception rooms that were bigger than the house they rented and an indoor swimming pool, they chanced upon an odd looking chalet.

"What do you suppose that is?" Bella asked. "The golf club room?"

Jacob laughed as he rested his hand on the door handle. "There's only one way to find out…" He opened the door, and giggling, the two walked inside.

"Hey, they've got a dryer in here," Jacob pointed out, fumbling against the wall until he found a light.

"That's weird," Bella commented. "Why would you have a dryer in some wooden shack?"

"Don't know, but it seems to be working," Jacob said, opening up the dryer door.

Bella found herself in front of a frosted glass partition with a handle etched on the side. Carefully, she tugged at it and found it slid open, leading to another room.

"Hey, Bells, they've got towels and dressing gowns in here. Maybe it's some kind of sauna?"

"It's a hot tub," Bella clarified, pointing towards the tiled room she had found, with an inviting looking pool of swirling turquoise water. They looked at each other and grinned.

"Well, it's a way to pass the time while we wait for the spin cycle to complete," Jacob suggested, raising an eyebrow. Bella stepped into the room and gingerly made her way along the floor, each step slightly slippery as her wet stockinged feet made contact with the shiny tiles. She dipped her finger into the pool.

"It's warm," she said. "Very warm…"

Jacob had already brought in the dressing gowns and towels. "All that's left for us to do is get out of these wet, sticky clothes and put them in the dryer," he said, his voice thickening with every movement Bella made to wriggle out of her dress.

"Need a hand?" he offered, and Bella didn't want to refuse him as his hands found the hem and slid the dress up past her thighs. She lifted up her arms and let him pull the dress off her wet body, tossing it onto the floor before deftly pulling her against him.

"You're getting distracted," she teased, undoing his tie, her breath hitching as he kissed along her jaw and neck.

"Mmm? You're very distracting," he insisted, unhooking her bra and tugging it off her, throwing it in the pile with her dress, his tie and his shirt as Bella peeled it off his body.

She managed to remove Jacob's belt before he was on his knees, unfastening her stockings from the suspender belt and peeling the belt and panties down her legs. She moaned unashamedly as he pressed wet kisses along her hip bone and her inner thighs, shifting her stance slightly to allow him further access. He peeled her stockings down to her ankles while her fingers roamed through his hair until she realised she was going to have to stop in order to get the underwear off. With a deep sigh, she pulled away from him and kicked her panties, suspender belt and stockings into the same clothing pile, while Jacob took off his pants, socks and boxers.

"I'll go and put these in the dryer," he said, kissing Bella before grabbing the pile of clothes.

"Jake! I don't think my underwear can go in the dryer," she said as he entered the room with the dryer. "They're delicates."

"No problem, honey. There's a drying rack in here," he called back. "Is that just the red bra and panties set thing or the stockings, too?"

"Stockings? Umm, they should probably go on the clothes horse," she replied.

"I got it. Now, go and get comfortable, honey," he said.

Bella made her way across the tiles to the hot tub, noticing it felt less slippery bare-foot. Carefully, she held onto the handrail and stepped into the warm, inviting pool.

It wasn't quite deep enough or wide enough to swim in, but it was definitely bigger than your average bathtub. Holding her nose, Bella sank down to the bottom and pushed herself through to the surface, pushing her hair back and rinsing it of the foam and chlorine. She floated a little towards the circular edge of the tub and rested the back of her head against the side, draping her arms over the edge and allowed the jets of water to massage her lower back, feeling as though she could almost fall asleep.

"Room for one more?" Jacob asked, standing naked at the edge of the pool, his fingers drumming against the hand rail.

"Well, seeing as you asked nicely…" Bella smiled as he sank into the water the same way she had, pushing his long hair back from his face as he broke the surface of the water. He pushed his way through the water towards her and laid back next to her, his head resting against the side as well, his arm around her and his fingers threading through hers where they met.

"This isn't exactly a bad way to spend an hour," he mused. "That's how long the cycle's going to take…"

"Sounds good to me," Bella replied, letting her limbs dangle in the water, nudging her feet against Jacob's, giggling as they played underwater footsie. Soon enough, her giggles turned to languid moans as their lips glided against each other, slipping from the heat and the wet as their bodies became drenched in water and condensation.

"First thing I'm building for our house is a hot tub, honey," Jacob panted, his hands cupping Bella's breasts under the water, sliding down to her thighs.

"Oh, I concur, baby. I concur," Bella breathed as their bodies slid against each other, the water sloshing around them from the jets and their own thrashing motions.

Suddenly Jacob lifted her up onto one of the raised platforms of the hot tub, so her bottom half was still submerged in the water but her upper half was exposed to the humid air.

"Jake, what are you…?" She squealed as a jet of water started massaging her in unexpected places between her thighs.

"That's what I want to see, honey," he urged, holding her in place with his arms folded, leaning on her thighs.

"You, mister, are in serious trouble…" Another gasp left her lips as the water jet did its worst, Bella flung her head back as her whole body started to quiver. Jacob pressed his hands on the platform either side of her and raised himself up, his lips connecting with the hollow of her throat and down over her breasts, sliding effortlessly over her water slicked body. Unable to help herself, Bella leant into his kisses, into his touch once he moved his hands and began to walk his fingers all over her body. She rocked almost imperceptibly against the water jet, her fingertips futilely gripping against the ceramic platform as she surrendered to her unravelling nerves, the trembling of her thighs and her loud moan of ecstasy alerting Jacob.

"Oh, honey. I love to watch you come," he said with a husky voice and widening pupils.

Bella wrested control of her now leaden body from her desire to slip into the warm water and sleep. "Does this mean we just had a threesome with the hot tub?" she joked. "Because it was definitely directly involved…"

"I can't pretend I'm not jealous of that jet," Jacob commented, raising an eyebrow. Bella merely smiled and slipped back into the water, turning over and leaning against the edge of the hot tub, her legs stretched out into the water. She glanced over her shoulder and allowed her body to float to the surface, exposing her back, butt and legs to the sultry air, her hair billowing out where it met the water.

"Come on, baby," she urged, slowly scissor kicking. "You know you want it…"

Jacob pulled himself close to her, her legs wrapping around his waist. She saw him smile.

"You are the naughtiest woman, and it's a damn good job I'm marrying you, because somebody needs to keep you out of trouble," he teased, gently spanking her with every syllable he spoke, a fine mist of water droplets rising from her butt with each contact of his hand.

"Don't you mean, get me into trouble?" she retorted, giggling. "You're my partner in crime for every single deviant…"

She didn't even try to complete her sentence as Jacob plunged her lower body into the water and entered her, instead making some incoherent whimpers of desire as he hit just the right spots. His fingers gripped against her thighs, his thumbs digging into the creases of her ass while she gasped semi-coherent encouragement. He matched her vocals, breathlessly exalting her name, just as Bella became dimly aware of a loud clatter.

"Damn, is that you, Jake?" Deano's voice was one of deep awe. "I can hear you two from outside…" He began to giggle in that way only a truly drunk twenty-one year old can.

"Deano!" Jacob began to gruffly protest, but he was beaten to the post by Bella.

"Deano, get your own damn hot tub!" she panted as she came closer to orgasm.

Deano stared, slack-jawed, for a few moments. Then he grinned. "Congratu-fucking-lations, buddy, she's going to make one hell of a bride," he said before exiting the building and carefully shutting the door, managing to make as much noise as possible.

Jacob and Bella managed to laugh hysterically and climax all at once.

* * *

"I cannot believe he just stood there, watching us!" Bella said with a giggle as they sat in the back seat of their limo, in newly dried clothes, Jacob's arm wrapped around her as they cuddled up together.

"He was drunk… But what a view, huh? Our asses sticking up in the air, water splashing all over the place?"

"I hope he didn't have a camera— did you see a camera?" Bella demanded.

Jacob shrugged. "I was busy looking at what he was looking at," he replied.

"Guys, the mute button is on the left!" the chauffeur insisted, his tone somewhat resigned.

Bella waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, it doesn't matter," she said, reaching for a chocolate. "Would you have just stood there and watched?"

There was a long pause. Jacob began playing with her hair.

"You're asking me?" the chauffeur queried.

"Yeah," Bella replied. "If you wandered into a room with a hot tub and saw two people… you know, would you try and leave discreetly, or would you just stand and watch?"

"Depends on the two people, I guess," he replied.

Jacob shrugged. "He's got a point, Bells. I mean, I wouldn't want to watch any hot tub action involving my dad. Or your dad, come to think of it."

Bella shuddered at the thought.

"Now, Abbie, on the other hand—"

"Jake!"

"Bells, I just meant she'd happily watch hot tub action with your dad."

Bella stifled a giggle. "Oh, God. And I thought it was just me who noticed."

Jacob shook his head. "It was blindingly obvious…" He suddenly chewed on his lip in thought. "You don't suppose they ever—"

"No!" Bella insisted.

Jacob didn't quite meet her eyes. "They would definitely have been in that house together when we weren't there."

"Yeah, for half an hour!"

"Half an hour's all you need."

They looked at each other.

Bella gripped his arm. "I don't know, and I don't want to know," she affirmed.

"We're nearly there," the chauffeur called. "You sure you don't want me to loop round for a bit?"

"No, we're good, thanks," Jacob said, resting his head against Bella's.

"Really? Because from what I heard earlier this evening- I mean, the tiniest portion I accidentally caught— you were on something of a promise." His tone was good-natured enough that Bella didn't feel embarrassed. Well, _too_ embarrassed.

"I kept it," Bella said with a yawn, her hand resting on Jacob's thigh.

"So, you two kids getting married, right?" the chauffeur queried.

Bella smiled. "Yep. Not right away, but…"

"That's the plan," Jacob finished. "But we're waiting until we've got ourselves sorted out, got some money together."

"Wise move," the chauffeur agreed. "There's no need to rush, not nowadays."

They soon arrived outside their rented house. Bella could see the lights were still on.

"It's been a pleasure, guys," the chauffeur said as he opened the door for them. "Really. I get this gig around graduation time, I'm usually clearing up vomit afterwards."

"Umm, thanks?" Bella offered with a shy giggle as the chauffeur smiled and climbed back into his cab before driving away.

Jacob took his keys out and opened the door, gesturing for Bella to go in before him.

"How very gentlemanly of you," Bella teased as they made their way into the hall just as Charlie staggered out of the living room in his vest and underpants, like a cop in one of those films where they're going through a rough patch and have probably been suspended.

"Oh, you're back," he said. "Did you kids have fun?" Bella could smell the evidence of the cases of beer he had consumed, but he didn't seem particularly affected by it.

"Yeah, it was good, Dad," Bella replied. "Thanks for the limo."

"Yeah, it was awesome, Charlie. Is Dad still up?"

"He's in bed, but he's awake," Charlie replied. "I think he wanted to see you before you went to bed, Jake."

Jacob nodded as Charlie glanced along the hall.

"Bathroom's first on the right?" he stated uncertainly, awaiting validation.

"Yeah, Dad."

They said their goodnights and Bella watched a little nervously until she was certain her father wasn't about to walk into the walls.

"He'll be fine, Bells," Jacob said, taking her hand and walking over to the other bedroom, avoiding the living room where Charlie had set up quilts on the couch.

"Come in," Billy called when Jacob knocked on the door.

"I'll go and make us a drink," Bella said.

"Oh, let Jacob do that," Billy called from the bedroom.

"It's fine, Billy—"

"Okay, let me rephrase. Jake, piss off, I want to talk to your fiancée," he called back.

Jacob shrugged and made his way to the kitchen. Bella gingerly entered the bedroom.

Billy was sitting up in the bed, wearing what Bella assumed were plaid pyjamas and looking a lot more respectable than her own father.

"Is everything okay, Billy?" she asked.

Billy patted the space next to him on the bed. "Sit down, Bella," he said, his expression kindly. Bella did as she was asked and perched herself on the bed next to her future father-in-law.

"Did you both have fun tonight?" he asked.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, thanks. It was nice."

"Good," he agreed, nodding slightly as he spoke, looking slightly perturbed.

"What's up, Billy?" Bella asked. "I know that face."

Billy laughed. "You can read all us Blacks like a book, huh?" he commented before exhaling loudly. "Bella, I want to talk to you about the future. About you and Jake getting hitched. I presume that's the plan— Jake's not really the type to remain permanently engaged."

"That's the plan," Bella agreed, having a sudden inkling of where this conversation was probably heading. "I know Jake would like to stay in La Push—"

"You're one step ahead of me," Billy agreed, sadness in his voice.

"Just give it to me straight, Billy," Bella said, patting his hand. "I can handle it."

"They don't like it," Billy said simply. "The other elders, I mean. I gave them the news earlier… Let's just say I left my cell phone on the table for a good fifteen minutes before I bothered to try and reason with them."

Bella winced. This time, Billy stroked her hand in an unabashed way that clued Bella into where Jacob got at least part of his affectionate nature from.

"Bella, I'm made up you're marrying my son," he said. "You're good for him. He loves you so much, and I know you feel the same."

Bella felt her cheeks grow red as she smiled.

"And Harry's on our side," he offered optimistically. "He'll vouch for you; he's been impressed with how much of an interest you're taken in what we do, especially the fact you've learned more Quileute than some of the high school kids."

"Jake's a good teacher," Bella replied, knowing Harry might be less keen on this if he knew exactly _how_ Jacob had been teaching her.

"_You know, Bells, you actually know a lot of Quileute poetry."_

"_Really?"_

"_Sure. What do you think I've been spelling out on your clit for the past three years when I go down on you?"_

"_Funnily enough, I'm not paying attention to the letters you spell out during… during that. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm not paying attention to much of anything!"_

"_Huh. Guess I'd better read you something, then…" _

"Maybe the others will see reason," Billy supposed. "But I doubt it."

"What happens if they say no?" Bella asked.

Billy smiled grimly. "What's supposed to happen is that Jake listens to them and accepts their wishes in order to keep his potential future position on the council, to keep the position of honorary chief and follow in his old man's footsteps."

She stared at the quilt, trying not to cry. Deep down, she knew this was a possibility, but to hear it laid out so bluntly made it all the more real.

Billy's hand touched her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. "But we both know Jake's not about to do that," he assured her. "If they don't accept you, he'll leave. La Push and his birthright. He's told me this before."

"Billy…" Bella felt guilt twist at her gut. It was one thing for Jacob to leave his tribe for her, but his own father?

"And I'm fine with it," Billy insisted. "That's what kids do, they fly the coup. If Jake leaves La Push to be happy, then I'll be happy."

"Why are you telling me this?" Bella asked quietly.

"Because I know how you get," he replied. "You worry too much about your old man and me. Jake's the same. The pair of you are practically middle-aged at times," he joked.

He grabbed her arms gently, his expression so serious it nearly shocked her.

"Don't worry about us," he said. "We want you two kids to be happy. Whether that's right next door or goddamn China, okay?"

"Okay," Bella said eventually, trying not to think too much about Billy's words. The very idea that all his tribe elders got to weigh in on his choice of wife just because of his heritage seemed insane to her, but their unique culture was something she had barely scratched the surface of as an outsider.

She hoped the elders would accept her. Not so much for herself, but because she wanted them to love Jacob as much as she did, to see his heart mattered more than his blood.

He shouldn't be clamouring for their respect, she decided.

They should be clamouring for his.


	17. Epilogue: Ultimatum The End

**Pairing:** Jacob/Bella

**Rating: **M

**Chapter Summary:** It's judgement day for Bella and Jacob as their story comes full circle.

**Disclaimer: **Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.

**Thank Yous: **I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- thejmeyer

Also, thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed this story, and have given me such positive feedback. I'm amazed it's got so much attention (200+ reviews is more attention than I've ever got :) ).

BTW- if you've just started reading this, and want to leave a review, don't feel you've missed the boat! You're still welcome to the party.

Speaking of... There are likely to be a couple of one-shot tie-ins to come: a one-shot crack!fic about Jacob and Bella's Euro Trip, and a one-shot about those times Bella wasn't around to see Abbie near her father. They won't be for a while, but I shall post them onto this account. I guess if you want to be notified about them, adding me as a favourite author will let you know when I post new things up? I always assumed that's what that was for.

Anyway, thank you and I hope you enjoy the conclusion.

* * *

**Epilogue: Ultimatum- The End**

"Cigarette?" Leah pointed a pack towards Bella, who shook her head.

"No thanks," she replied. "Never smoked."

Leah grinned. "Yeah, Jake's never been into it either."

The rain had started to lessen since the tribal meeting began, where Bella and Leah waited, leaning against the wall, part trying to hear what was going on, part trying to block it out. Jacob had got angry about fifteen minutes ago. That was all Bella could tell from her eavesdropping.

"Tell me something, Bella," Leah asked. "You're serious about moving here? To La Push?" She looked incredulous.

Bella shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"Because it's a hole?" Leah suggested. "I got out… for a while. I'd have stayed out if it weren't for Sam. He shouldn't even be on the council yet, but I guess when your old man takes off before you can walk…" She lit her cigarette and took a drag while Bella kicked futilely at a sodden leaf stuck to the wooden deck outside of the tribal hall building.

"Home is where Jake is," Bella said simply. "I don't mind a commute. I could even teach here, at the local rez school."

Leah looked at her with vague contempt. "Don't," she advised. "The pay is crap. Stay at Forks High School or go to that private school out of town."

Bella nodded, growing increasingly uncomfortable as Leah watched her with interest.

"He loves you so much," she said, eventually.

Bella smiled, unable to hide the glow to her features. "I know."

"I don't think you do," Leah replied kindly. "I don't know any guy who would go through all this for their woman. He's fighting against everything he's been brought up to cherish."

"Oh really? What about Sam?" Bella countered cheekily, poking Leah gently in the ribs.

Leah sighed. "He wouldn't fight this hard," she confessed. "He'd accept whatever they dished out, in the end." She paused and took another drag of her cigarette, the tip glowing red as she sucked. "Jake won't. Trust me, Bella, if this doesn't go his way, he'll be out of here, taking you with him…"

Bella laughed. "Come on, Leah," she said. "You seriously think he'll give up his position as the next in line to the chiefdom just like that?" Bella knew she was right but was surprised Leah had even entertained it. Nobody else seemed to have, apart from Billy.

"I know it," she replied softly, and for a moment, Bella saw a semblance of envy in her eyes.

"This is dumb," Bella eventually spat.

Leah smirked. "What part exactly? The argument in there?" She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the tribal building behind them. "Or us waiting in the rain to hear the outcome?"

"The fact Jake could lose everything because he loves me!" Bella started pacing wildly. "Paul said they might force him out of the tribe altogether, make him renounce his heritage. Can they even do that?"

"You've seen Paul?" Leah sounded surprised.

"Yeah, we keep in touch," she replied. "He's got a year left at North Seattle. I think he's planning on staying out there."

"I don't blame him," Leah replied thoughtfully. "Too many memories…"

They stood in silence for a moment, Leah flicking the butt of her cigarette out onto the wet grass. Bella noticed that Leah's very silence on the topic of Jacob's heritage had answered her question.

"I can't even walk," she said, shaking her head. "I can't even make this easy on him and walk away, because I couldn't bear not being with him." She started to sob and swiftly felt Leah's arms wrap around her.

"Bella, Jake wouldn't want that. He'd feel the same." She chuckled gently. "I remember years ago, when I was home one weekend during the whole three weeks you two were split up. I have never seen such a mopey-assed loser in all my life, and hell, you've met my brother…"

Bella managed to laugh through her tears, albeit briefly. "Why are they putting him through this?" she asked.

Leah shrugged, patted her on the back. "They'll tell you they do it because they care about us," she replied sourly.

"If they cared so much, they wouldn't make him choose," Bella retorted.

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir here," Leah said smoothly. "My father taught me that we carry our culture in our heads and our hearts, not in our blood. When I was younger, I took that idea for granted. Now that I'm older, I honestly believe him."

Pulling a handkerchief out of the pocket of her jeans, Bella wiped her eyes. "He said he'd sing for me," she whispered.

"Who, Jake? Trust me, that's not something you want to hear…"

"He said, if they accepted it, he'd come out of there and sing for me. Sing all the songs I'm not supposed to know… I mean, that he isn't allowed to share with me."

Leah laughed, rich and deep, from right within her belly. "See, that's Jake all over. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if this whole brouhaha over you was just a ruse. He's too progressive. It scares them." She shook her head, still giggling. "But forget my conspiracy theories. Want to know what I'd do, if I were in your shoes?"

"Go on."

"Fuck them. Not literally. Just, the two of you should go off around Europe, do your thing. Find somewhere you really connect with and live your lives. Forget this place." She sighed. "I sure as hell would…"

"Let's… Let's just see what happens, before you start planning our lives together," Bella replied gently as she saw Jacob exit the tribal building, his expression unreadable.

"Jake?" she called, reluctant to dwell on this moment of uncertainty any longer, buoyed by her faith that whatever the outcome, they would face it together.

He stormed past them both, Bella had to run to keep up with him.

"Jake? What's going on?" she asked.

"They said no, Bells," he replied bitterly. "If I want to marry you, I have to leave…"

Bella felt her heart drop somewhere near her stomach. "What?" she whispered; shocked that their worst case scenario had actually happened.

"They're not going to accept you as my wife. They're not going to accept my decision and have told me if I marry you, I'm dead to them and I'll have to leave."

They reached the little red house that Jacob and Billy shared.

Bella stood outside, shell-shocked. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

Jacob looked at her as though she was crazy. "What do you think, Bella?" he said. "I'm going to pack."

Heavy footsteps drew nearer, Bella heard Sam's voice call out, "Jacob! Jake, calm down!"

"Why, Sam?" Jacob's voice was steely as he turned to face the youngest of the tribal elders. "Why the fuck should I calm down?"

"You're being hasty…"

"I'm not," he snapped. "I told you all where I stood, you all told me where you stood, so I'm out of here."

"When?"

"As soon as I've packed my stuff. Shouldn't take too long…" He turned away from Sam, and Bella caught a glimpse of his face. He was heartbroken.

"Can I stay with you tonight, Bells?" he asked quietly, tears stinging his eyes.

Bella nodded, feeling tears pour down her face in response. "Of course," she replied. "As long as you need. We can start looking for a place to rent..."

The other tribal elders soon reached the house, Billy and Harry bringing up the rear. Billy looked just as anguished as his son, and Harry was shaking his head in disappointment.

"I told you," he said to the others. "I told you this would happen."

One of the elders appeared perturbed and stepped towards Jacob. "Jacob, try to understand…"

"No! Keep away from him!" Bella demanded before she even realised what she was doing.

"Stay out of this, Bella," he admonished hotly.

"You bastards! How can you put him through this?" she screamed, shaking as sobs racked her body, barely noticing Leah put her arms around her and pull her into a hug.

"It's going to be okay, Bella," she urged.

"Leah…" The elder's tone was something of a warning.

"I'm not going to stand by while she's sobbing her guts out, Grandfather!" Leah spat the epithetic as though it were an insult.

Wiping her eyes, Bella forced herself to look at the gathered elders, noticing who looked unrepentant and who looked awkward as Jacob entered his house with a slam of the door, returning shortly with a large back pack and battered duffle bag, a half-finished totem pole under his arm.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he said quietly, laying his belongings on the floor. "I can't… I won't lose her."

Billy nodded. "You don't have to apologise, Jacob. I understand," he replied in equally hushed tones.

"So, we're really going to lose yet another kid? Billy's really going to have to let another child go?" Harry questioned rhetorically, his expression cold.

"Harry…"

"What? Rebecca, Rachel, Kelly and Paul not enough for you?" he replied, cutting off one of the other elders, just as Bella saw Quil rush towards the scene.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking around at the gathered crowd. "Bella?"

Bella couldn't find the words. "Quil," she managed to say before bursting into tears yet again.

"It's over, man," Jacob said. "They refused, so we're going."

"What?" Quil whirled around and glared at the elder Harry had just spoken to. "Dad? Are you guys serious?"

Bella was surprised. Quil's father looked old enough to be his grandfather.

Old Quil merely sighed wearily.

"Quil, there are far more complicated factors involved…"

"No, there aren't," he replied. "They're good people, and they love each other; they want to be involved."

"Don't be naïve, Quil," his father shot back.

"I don't care she's a paleface," Quil said evenly. "It's the twenty first century, Dad."

"Thanks, Quil," Bella said brokenly.

"No problem, Bella. You know I've got your back." Suddenly, he smiled maliciously.

"You know what? Fuck this shit," he said. "If Jake's got to leave, then I'm out."

The elders frowned.

"What do you mean?" Old Quil asked, his expression grave.

"If they have to leave, then I'm going too," Quil said with an air of triumph. "I was going to help out with Jake's new business anyway…"

"Quil, you don't have to…" Jacob's protestation was cut off instantly by Quil.

"I want to, bro," he said, before pulling a cell phone out of his pocket and dialling.

"Hey, Embry… Yeah, they've done it, said they can't get hitched while Jake's still in the tribe…" There was a pause before he laughed suddenly. "You know what? That's exactly what I said…"

Bella saw Embry running full pelt towards them, cell phone in hand, closely followed by Seth.

"I'm out, too," Embry called. "I won't stay if they can't."

"Me too," Seth added as they both reached the crowd. "This is bullshit!"

"Seth, language!" Leah chided.

"Well, it is, sis," Seth protested. "I'm going to college in September. I guess I won't come back. Colin and Brady will agree with me, too…"

Harry, to Bella's amazement, looked proud.

Jared strolled past, did a double take, and jogged towards them.

"What's all this?" Jared asked, with a chuckle. "You finally getting your ultimatum, Jake?"

His grin slid off his face at Jacob's expression. "Yeah," he replied. "I got my ultimatum…"

"What, seriously?" he queried, his brow puckering as he frowned in disbelief.

"Seriously," Jacob replied.

"Three to seven," Billy added.

Jared looked at the elders. "Grandfathers, you can't do this," he implored. "First Kelly, then Paul… We'd have lost Paul in every sense if it hadn't been for Bella and Jake. He was a wreck; they helped him hold it together."

"Our mind is made up, Jared," another of the elders said grimly.

Jared shook his head. "It's not right, Dad."

"It's for the best, in the long run," he insisted.

"We're leaving too," Quil explained to Jared. "In protest. Come and join us."

Jared shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"You're all being ridiculous," another of the elders protested.

Leah sighed. "If you're all going to have your _'Spartacus'_ moment… I'm out, too," she announced, looking across at Sam. "I'm sorry, Sam, but I can't stand by and let this happen. I have to go against you."

Sam looked utterly horrified. "I voted for them to stay!" Sam protested. "I can't believe you—"

"Sorry, Sam," Leah replied, leaving Bella to put her arm around him.

Sam did not appear particularly placated. "Jesus, Leah!"

Bella felt Jacob's warm hand take hers. "You ready, Bells?" he asked as they turned away from the crowd, only to find a little seven year old girl with pigtails running towards them. Claire, followed by Emily and Claire's mother Kate.

"Jacob, Bella!" Claire called happily, running into Jacob's legs and hugging him.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, a tear tricking down his face as he picked her up.

She frowned at him. "Why are you crying?" she asked, her fingers instantly playing with his long hair.

"Because Bella and I have to leave," he said.

"Why?"

"Because we want to get married."

"Oh." She looked sad for a moment. "Can I be a bridesmaid?"

"Of course you can, sweetie," Bella said.

Claire smiled. "Cool. When are you coming back?"

"We won't be," Jacob explained.

"Why not?"

"Because the tribe elders are unhappy that we're getting married," he said. "So, if we want to get married, we have to leave, and we can't come back."

Claire looked upset, her bottom lip started to tremble. "But, I don't want you to go!" she looked around, agitated.

Kate reached forward to take Claire out of Jacob's arms. "Come on, sweetheart…"

"No! It's not fair! Bella read me stories when I stayed over! Jacob plays games; he's funny! They can't leave! Aunt Emmy, tell them!"

Emily looked saddened. "There's nothing we can do, Claire," she said. "It isn't our business."

"We're all going," Quil told Claire, who blushed scarlet and buried her face against her mother as he spoke. "We don't think it's fair, either."

"Can I come, too?" Claire asked, her face still hidden against her mother's bosom. "I'll miss you."

"Maybe when you're older," Quil offered.

Kate set Claire on the ground and handed her a teddy bear, only for her to cling onto it and stare proudly up at everyone.

"This is silly," she announced. "I'm leaving too."

"Claire, sweetie, this isn't your tribe," Emily protested but it fell on deaf ears as Claire stormed through the crowd and along the road.

"I'm still leaving!" she shouted after them, her expression determined and her pace brisk, as her mother and Emily ran to catch up with her.

Old Quil shook his head. "I think… I think we need to reconvene," he announced.

"What?" One of the elders did not appear pleased.

"Do you know what this is? We're looking at the next generation, and right now they're going to follow their little Dalai Lama into exile. Is the bloodline of the chief really worth that?" he reasoned.

"Hear, hear," Harry agreed.

"In which case, is there anyone else here who agrees with Quil?" Billy asked, his hand already raised. Harry's joined him, as did Sam's. Old Quil raised his hand casually. Slowly, the man Jared addressed raised his. Then another elder, one who had been silent throughout, raised his and created a majority. Billy looked calm but elated. Bella recognised the expression he always wore whenever the Washington Redskins lost, and he was in a bar full of fans.

"I believe our children have made their case," he said. "We shall deliberate."

They all moved back towards the council building, although Billy turned around long enough to wink at Jacob, who grinned back.

"I think that means we're in with a really good chance, Bells," Jacob said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Bella wordlessly flung her arms around him, hoping that he was right.


End file.
